Keeping your house safe over Spring Break

By Laura Levitt

Britton Toothman, a sophomore, came home on March 1 to learn that someone had broken into her off-campus house.

“Initially I was like ‘oh crap!’” Toothman said. “Second of all I was kinda like well, we leave our windows open all the time so I’m not surprised. And then at the same time I’m like ‘aw crap that’s my house there are people in there.’”

Toothman, herself, didn’t have anything stolen, but her roommates lost cell phones and laptops. Even though some of their possessions were stolen, they were thankful that not everything was. 

“I’m a violinist and that’s one of the most valuable things I own and I was freaking out… [but] we were all very relieved that our instruments were not taken.”

There are a couple simple things you can do to make sure your house is safe. Unplug your outlets in case there is a power surge, close and lock your windows and make sure your mail and newspapers don’t stack up. These tips are especially important during spring break when your house is more vulnerable.

“Some of the people that live in the vicinity realize the students are gone and they know a student lives in a particular house and they’ll take that opportunity to break in,” said Chuck Gantos, director of Campus Safety and Police.

Toothman and her roommates have turned their break-in into a learning opportunity.

“We’ve become super fanatics about locking everything,” Toothman said. “Even when people are here we make sure that everything’s locked.”

Another way to keep your off-campus house safe over break is to call the Elon Police Department ((336) 584-1301). They will drive through your neighborhood and keep an eye on your house while you’re away.

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