Cases of theft near campus increasing

With more than 30 thefts occurring near campus in the past two months, the Santa Clara Police Department is encouraging students to exercise caution.

"It's been crazy," said Lt. Mike Sellers, spokesperson for the SCPD. "Lock your doors. If you have a hideaway key, hide it."

Sellers said the majority of these thefts won't be solved because they weren't break-ins.

"It's been frustrating for the detectives because there's nothing to go on," he said. "You throw a party and I come on over. I take your laptop, but there's 30 to 40 people in the place."

The thieves have taken small objects, like iPods and cell phones, so they can be easily hidden, Sellers said.

"It seems like the method is, they're walking in because the house is unlocked," he said.

Junior Meg Howe found her house broken into when she returned the afternoon after Halloween.

"My two housemates were out of town and I was staying at a friend's house, so when I came back the next day, I was shocked to see that we had been broken into," said Howe. "My laptop and charger and my housemate's laptop and charger were stolen."

According the Howe, the house's doors and windows were locked that night.

"Our house is old and it's somewhat easy to break a window, and I saw that a window had been forced open," said Howe.

"I was by myself when I walked into the house the next afternoon, and when I saw that we had been broken into, I started freaking out and I didn't know who to call," she said.

Howe said she called her boyfriend, who told her to get out of the house.

"I was freaking out because I was scared that they could still be in the house," said Howe. "Calling 911 was the weirdest thing for me because it felt surreal."

Tucker Heiner and his housemates didn't have keys to their Maples house when the house was broken into on Halloween night. He said they locked their individual rooms and left the front door to the house unlocked.

On Halloween night, when Heiner remembered to lock his room, but his two roommates didn't, their house was broken into and two laptops and their chargers were stolen.

"You can't be too trusting," Heiner said.

The next day, new locks were installed on the house, and Heiner and his housemates now lock the door when they leave, he said.

Sellers said it is difficult to find the thieves with little to no evidence.

"It's tough," he said. "We want to catch these folks, but it's very difficult."

Howe said she reported the break-in to the Santa Clara Police Department.

"When the policewoman came, she did fingerprinting, but so far she hasn't followed up with me," said Howe.

"When I asked her about checking Craigslist for stolen computers, she told me that it would be better for me to check it on my own."

Howe and her housemates plan to order a security system for the house, and have started locking their bedroom doors.

Howe said, "I know that a computer is replaceable, but the thing that gets to me is that someone was able to get into the house."

"I don't feel safe at home anymore. Now when my friend knocks on my door, I jump because I'm so scared," she said.

Police officers have attempted to educate students on how to protect themselves from theft, but Sellers said it doesn't seem to be working.

"I don't think the message is getting out there as well as we'd like," he said.

E-mail news@thesantaclara.com.