Dear campus community member:
We want to provide you with an update on a series of incidents that prompted a Community Safety Notice on March 23 regarding apartment burglaries.
At 2:43 a.m. Saturday, University Police arrested the person responsible for at least five incidents of trespassing or attempted burglaries of apartments in the 300 block of East Green Street, Champaign. These are the same five incidents of which you were previously informed. We are unable to provide additional information about the arrest because the arrestee is under 18 years old.
Even though this person has been arrested, we must continue to emphasize the importance of locking your doors at all times, even when you are at home. You can make our campus community safer by taking an active role in these safety practices:
- Do not allow strangers to follow you into your building. It may seem polite to hold the door for someone, but that often allows unauthorized people to enter. It is OK to ask someone to swipe their card or use a key to enter a residence hall or apartment building.
- Watch your belongings. Theft is the most common crime on college campuses everywhere, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is no exception. Lock up or secure your personal belongings whenever possible, even if they are sitting right next to you.
- Lock your doors. The easiest way to prevent theft and burglary is by locking the door to your vehicle or residence. Criminals often will look for an open door or window to steal your items.
- Bring it with you. If you’re leaving campus for an extended period of time, bring your valuables with you.
- Be alert, and trust your instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Call police if something looks odd — we’re happy to assist, and even the smallest bit of information could prevent another crime.
- Promptly report crime or suspicious activity. It is more likely that police will be able to identify and apprehend offenders when crimes are reported immediately. Reporting crime or suspicious activity can help to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
If you become concerned about a friend or yourself as a result of this incident, the Student Assistance Center (SAC) can help. Staff in the SAC are available Monday through Friday between 8:30-5 p.m. Additionally, the Emergency Dean Program provides a university administrator who is on-call to assist in health or safety emergency situations that occur after business hours and require an immediate university response. Call 217-333-0050 to reach the SAC or the Emergency Dean. Additional information about these programs and others is available at odos.illinois.edu/community-of-care.
Please take a moment to review these resources we have made available to keep you informed, and consider liking UIPD on Facebook, following us on Twitter or subscribing to our news feed to receive regular updates.