After at least 12 burglaries in the Water Street area that occurred over last year’s Winterim, according to a Jan. 25 issue of The Spectator, community relations officer Jason Kaveney said the police are well aware of what could happen when students go home over this year’s winter break.

“The Eau Claire Police Department is aware of what happened last year,” Kaveney said. “The district officers are aware and we’ll be watching the area looking for suspicious activity.”

Although Kaveney said that these types of instances happen every year despite increased patrol, he added there are steps students can take to ensure it won’t happen to them.

He said precautions such as letting a neighbor know how long you are going to be gone and having someone pick up your mail are just two of the many things students can do to prevent a burglary.

“If mail overflows, it can be an indication that someone isn’t home,” Kaveney said. “Also we encourage people to, if feasible, leave a light on or something to give the impression somebody is currently there.”

Junior Chrissy Winters’ house was burglarized over the 2007 Winterim when a thief broke one of the house’s windows.

Because the front door was locked and her roommate’s television was gone, Winters assumed her roommate had just taken it home for the break.

“I was a little confused . I thought it was odd (the door was unlocked), but I wasn’t the last one to leave so I didn’t know how my roommates had left the house,” she said. “I went in one of the other doors and had some stuff missing, then I came into my other roommates’ room and kind of freaked out when I saw the desk was missing.”

Winters said she is taking every step necessary in order to prevent another break-in.

“First of all, our landlord replaced the busted window the burglars came through,” she said. “We’re locking windows and doors, leaving the television on or something to look like someone’s here and stopping our mail.”

In 20 years of experience as a landlord, Ed Garlick of EDJ Rentals said his tenants have never had a problem with burglaries over long breaks. He also said leaving a light on would be a good way to deter any potential thieves.

“We take care of all snow removal so we’re around a lot,” Garlick said. “Obviously we try to pay attention to anything going on at the houses.”

Although leaving a Christmas tree on would seem like a good idea to keep people away, Garlick said students should make sure it is unplugged and stored in a safe place in order to prevent a potential fire.

Kaveney said one of the most important steps people can take is to spend the time to write down serial numbers and information on valuables in the residence in case they are burglarized.

“Writing down numbers not only helps with recovery, but it also helps insurance issues,” he said. “A lot of items taken are easily moveable items like electronics or computers and a lot of these end up in pawn shops or other locations where they’re transferred.”

He added that these types of valuables become traceable and provide a key element in locating people and reporting the crime.

Winters also recommends students know their computer and electronics information before they leave for winter break.

“I have it all written down,” she said. “Insurance can replace it, but it’s a lot easier if you have all the information.”