We just wanted to follow up the email we sent out earlier.
We are currently dealing with thieves that are not only professional but also growing bolder with each sequential break in. Last night around 11:30pm, all four residents of an apartment were home in their respective rooms; some had their lights on, others didn't. Nevertheless, one or more thieves broke into their living room and stole many valuables from there. After finishing in there, one thief entered into one resident's room (from the inside). The resident woke up with some random person going through the stuff in her room. Upon realization that he had woken this resident, the thief calmly told her to "Go back to bed" and exited the room. He only started to run away once the resident called out to the other suite mates.
Normally we would not divulge as many details, but we think it is necessary for you all to understand that these break ins have become a whole new beast. Please, please, please keep your windows closed and locked. To lock the windows, close them completely and look along the bottom for a knob/pin type thing, and push it down as far as you can. If you still have trouble locking them, please do not hesitate to call one of your RA's. We would be more than happy to assist you.
Seeing as how these thieves did not hesitate to enter a resident's room from the inside even when that person is home, we also recommend locking the doors to your individual rooms. We realize this may be an inconvenience and that more lock outs may occur, but this is much preferable to waking up to a stranger staring at you from only six inches away. Remember that you can also call Campus Security if an RA is not around to unlock your doors.
Report any suspicious behavior. If you do see such behavior or someone who clearly does not belong at CMC, please call an RA or Campus Security immediately. These thieves have been targeting CMC, especially the APTs, for quite some time now. We would much prefer that you call campus security only to find out that everything is OK than to have the opposite, where no one is called and another robbery occurs. These burglaries are likely to continue; we need to remain vigilant.
It is a good idea to close the blinds and leave some lights on when you are gone. Although these thieves do not seem to be deterred by very much, if you can even slightly reduce the possibility of a break in, it seems like a worthy thing to do.
Do not think that the only time you need to close and lock your doors are when you are sleeping or late at night. This break in occurred around 11:30 or midnight. If you leave your door propped open while you are going out, do not be surprised if your stuff is gone when you return. Leave your lights on if you are gone for an extended period of time.
At the end of this email we have copied an email that Mike Malsed sent earlier about how to protect your laptops (and other valuable electronics). If you didn't read this the first time you received it, please read it now and ask your RTAs (Chris Jones and Arielle Zuckerberg) if you are having any problems.
Although this message may be alarming, we thought that it was important that you know what is going on and how to protect yourself. A break in would be a quick way to ruin your Halloween (or any day, for that matter). Remember, we RAs are here to help you. Again, please call us if you have any questions.
