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With final exams underway and winter break approaching, The Daily Orange has tips to help students keep their residences and belongings secure while away from campus.

To protect your belongings, lock all doors and windows, close curtains and blinds and unplug all appliances. Avoid leaving any valuables behind, such as credit cards, checkbooks and cash, especially in places where they could easily be seen or stolen.

Off-campus students should make their residences appear occupied. Timers for lights or motion-sensitive lights are good options. Students should also contact their landlords about any broken outdoor lights before leaving.

Students with sliding glass doors should place a wooden dowel or a metal bar on the door’s track, preventing the door from being forced open. Any valuables left behind should be kept away from windows and all appliances except refrigerators should be unplugged. If you have a security alarm, double-check that it’s activated before leaving.

Taking a picture of what your residence looks like before you leave can document its state in the event of a burglary. If property is stolen, the pictures can help law enforcement recover the stolen items.

These safety precautions are even more crucial to follow, given property crimes around Syracuse University’s campus and in the city.

From 2023 to 2024, all property crimes in the city increased by 26.6%, with 2,709 cases reported over the first six months of 2024, syracuse.com reported. In the last five years, the city has averaged 2,013 instances of property-related crime per year. In 2024 so far, these rates are 34.6% higher. Of the 2,709 property crime reports this year, 467 of them were burglaries or instances of breaking-and-entering.

Early on Wednesday morning, the Syracuse Police Department responded to five reports of burglaries at businesses across the city of Syracuse that were determined to be connected. The nearest burglary was less than two miles from SU’s main campus.

To help prevent burglaries and improve general safety, SU’s Department of Public Safety will remain accessible over winter break. DPS can be contacted at (315) 443-2224 to report unsafe situations or suspicious activity. The department also offers a safety escort shuttle, which can be reached at (315) 443-7433.

Published on December 12, 2024 at 1:21 am

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu