Oakland tenants: Beware of thieves

‘ ‘ ‘ With the semester winding down, many students are packing their bags and getting ready to… ‘ ‘ ‘ With the semester winding down, many students are packing their bags and getting ready to leave campus for winter break. ‘ ‘ ‘ But they might be unlucky enough to return to an unpleasant surprise in January ‘mdash; a apartment that has been broken into. ‘ ‘ ‘ But there are steps students can take to burgler-proof their apartments before leaving Oakland for home this week. ‘ ‘ ‘ If any doors, windows or locks in an apartment are damaged, students should immediately contact the landlord or management service to get them fixed. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt’s safety Web site suggests engraving expensive personal belongings with a name or identification number so that any stolen property is verifiable. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt police department offers both tools and instructions for engraving items. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt police’s Web site also advises students to lock their doors and windows, and to not post on the door where they are and when they will be back. ‘ ‘ ‘ If students do not have a means of locking apartments, they can also place a dowel or length of wood into window frames and fit an unlocked door with a latch and padlock. ‘ ‘ ‘ If students are still not sure if an apartment is secure enough, the city police offer free security surveys. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt News reported that more than 20 residences all across South and Central Oakland were burglarized while students were away between Dec. 15 and Jan. 1 for winter break last year. Most of the burglaries occurred in the 300 blocks of Atwood and Semple streets and Meyran Avenue. ‘ ‘ ‘ Detective John Mihalcin of the city police burglary squad told The Pitt News in January that frequently burglarized items included laptop computers, mp3 players, DVDs, CDs and video games. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘At this time of year and in this location, it’s guaranteed,’ he said. ‘These guys know the students are gone for these weeks.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 2007 Annual Report, 3,418 burglaries were reported across the city, 222 of which occurred in Oakland. Central Oakland fell victim to 103 of these. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘They go and knock on the door. If nobody answers, they force the door or window,’ Mihalcin told The Pitt News. ‘ ‘ ‘ Last year, Pitt police chief Tim Delaney told The Pitt News that Pitt and city police caught three juveniles breaking into an Oakland property. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘You have to be lucky to catch someone in the act of breaking in,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ In the end, the safest means of securing valuables is for the owner to take them along when he leaves Oakland.