A significant amount of burglaries have occurred in residence halls throughout the semester, which has led to the display of warning posters that place the blame on students who do not properly close their doors.

Since the beginning of the fall semester, there have been roughly six incidents of burglary on campus in different residence halls including Brotz, Muehlmeier and Krueger. There is no current description of a suspect at this time.

Campus security director David Simon stated that the posters in residence halls are not meant to frighten students but rather give them a chance to be proactive and take precautions. The campus security team is obligated to use these posters when a significant number of burglaries take place.

“These crimes are ones of opportunity, or snatch and grab,” Simon stated. “If students take the necessary precautions, they help to eliminate the chance that they become victims.”

These burglaries are not completed through force. Perpetrators enter rooms with doors that are propped open or have locking mechanisms that have been manipulated through residents taping over the latches, preventing the doors from properly locking.

“These are the sort of the things that these perpetrators look for,” Simon said.

There are security measures students can take to help prevent these incidents such as not leaving doors unlocked or propped open and not allowing strangers into residence halls.

If students have any information regarding the burglaries, they can contact Lakeland’s anonymous phone line at (920)-565-1111 or through SMS message at 1111. Lakeland’s campus security posts a crime report every year online.