Local police offer advice for a safe and happy holiday
It is almost that time of year when the student body at the CU disassembles and disperses from campus.
For many, this is a time for rest and relaxation, but not for all.
“Police certainly don’t take a holiday over the break, and neither do criminals,” Julie Brooks, Boulder Police Department spokeswoman said.
Brooks said that at the top of the list of crimes police will see during this time of year are fraud and DUIs. Commander Brad Wiesley, CUPD spokesman, added two other items to the list: break-ins and theft.
“Probably the most important advice I would give to students who are going home for winter break, is to secure any valuables – the two that come to mind are iPods and laptops,” Wiesley said. “After December graduation, with the students gone and much of the faculty and staff taking time off to be with their families, I’d say the amount of people on campus is at it’s lowest for the whole year. Occasionally, we’ll see a room or two in one of the residence halls broken into, and generally it’s your electronics and valuables, not your jeans and hoodies, that criminals will take. My advice is to just take these items with you.”
Wiesley added that students living off campus should be careful as well.
“Off-campus, there are a lot of nice, quiet little spots burglars can target knowing that students are gone,” Wiesley said. “By the time students return, the trail can be really cold.”
Wiesley explained that crime on and around campus is lower, generally, in the absence of the students. All the same, the CUPD maintains their usual numbers of officers per shift, and often times find themselves lending a hand to the Boulder PD for New Year’s Eve.
“We tend not to do the drunk-driving checkpoints on New Year’s Eve,” Brooks said, “The reason being that they’re expensive and man-power intensive. Instead, we rely on a roving DUI personnel. We’ve found this to be very effective.”
The Boulder PD maintain their year-round levels of officers per shift during the holiday season as well, and Brooks reported that while police see a reasonable spike of DUIs during this time of year, fraud is undoubtedly at the top of the crime charts.
“Around this time, you start seeing a lot of charitable campaigns,” Brooks said. “A lot of the times, when you look into them, the money they collect is not really going to a legitimate charity.”
For tips on how to donate wisely this holiday season, Brooks refers citizens to the latest edition of “The Spotlight,” the Boulder Police Department’s quarterly newsletter, which is available by request or at the department headquarters. Below are a few pointers reprinted from that publication.
-If a solicitor calls you, ask for their registration AND the registration number of the charity they are representing. This will help you investigate the charity with the Secretary of State.
-Ask every solicitor how much of your donation will actually go to the charitable organization. If you think the amount is too low, tell them “no thank you.”
-Don’t be swayed by emotional appeals – take some time to examine that charity’s claims and to consider alternatives.
Aside from watching out for charitable imposters, both departments agree that making your empty house or apartment look a little less empty can do a lot in deterring burglars. Simple steps such as putting a stop on your mail so that it does not pile up by your front door, putting one or two lights in the residence on a timer, and having a neighbor check up on the property now and then can go a long way in saving grief later.
“Giving the impression that nobody is home is like requesting a break-in,” Brooks said.
Greg Nelson, senior humanities major, insists that he doesn’t ever worry about the possibility of a break-in, during the holidays or at any other time.
“Nothing in my house is worth stealing,” Nelson said. “I’m in a good position.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Andrew Frankel at Andrew.frankel@colorado.edu
