CPD, MUPD prepare for holiday break
Burglaries tend to increase when students leave Columbia.
Published Nov. 17, 2009
As students leave campus for the holidays, they leave empty homes and apartments behind. These are perfect targets for burglars, Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
"Burglars know that students leave campus and take advantage of it," Haden said.
One reason burglars target student housing is to obtain valuable items many students leave behind, such as video game systems and iPods. Those items are valuable, as well as small and therefore easy for burglars to steal, Haden said.
"They will tend to go where there's more bang for your buck," Haden said.
CPD attempts to control these problems by speaking to the media. Haden said she would focus on getting the word out next week.
Haden also said burglary crimes might occur in fraternity and sorority houses, as well as student apartments. CPD officers who work on East Campus inform residents of the potential dangers during the holiday season and prepare them to protect their property by doing things, such as locking doors and windows.
Senior Ryan Taylor has lived in East Campus for two and a half years. He said he has not experienced any burglaries and has not been contacted by CPD.
"Really I haven't heard of any burglaries at all," Taylor said. "I have not heard anything directly from CPD."
Traffic problems, such as traffic jams and accidents, are often associated with MU breaks. MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said though this is a problem when students leave for and return from summer vacation, traffic is not an issue for Thanksgiving break.
"There's not typically a mass exit like there is at the beginning and end of the school year because people's classes begin and end at different times," Weimer said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be stepping up its traffic enforcement activities for this year's Thanksgiving weekend by participating in two programs, a highway patrol news release stated.
"Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest holidays for travel in our nation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol is committed to making Missouri highways safe and to reduce traffic crashes," Highway Patrol Capt. John Elliott said in the news release.
According to the news release, the highway patrol will assign all available officers to work during the holiday period. Troop B officers will also be patrolling 10 mile increments of U.S. 63 from noon to midnight Nov. 25 and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 29.
"I want to encourage motorists to do their part by abiding by all traffic laws and making sure everyone in their vehicle is buckled up," Elliot said in the news release.
Weimer said in general, crime does not increase over breaks at MU. With fewer people on campus, crime is overall less of a problem.