A recent wave of car burglaries has been reported around the Ithaca College campus throughout September. According to public safety logs released by the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, the burglaries have been primarily concentrated to Z-Lot and C-Lot outside of Emerson Hall and Garden Apartments.
Elyse Nepa, assistant director of the Clery Act and Prevention Education, warned the campus community Sept. 12 about the reports of car burglaries and encouraged students to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. Many of the incidents have included cases of theft with reports of small items being stolen, like hair clips, hand sanitizer, keychains and crystals.
Public Safety also alerted the campus community Sept. 25 of a suspicious individual who was holding a knife and looking into cars around Coddington Road. The alert said it was unclear whether this individual was connected to the burglaries.
Junior Jamie Correll, a resident of the Garden Apartments, said she feels more cautious about having a car on campus with the recent incidents.
“It’s definitely made me keep an extra eye out,” Correll said. “I’m just hoping the school actually looks into it and tries to do something about it because it’s really scary.”
On Sept. 18, an individual broke into senior Alyssa Beebe’s car while parked in Z-Lot and stole a keychain. Beebe said she did not leave anything valuable in her car and thinks she may have left her car unlocked.
“I was surprised because there has honestly not been that much crime around campus,” Beebe said. “I felt violated a little bit because that’s kind of scary with someone getting into my personal space.”
Beebe said Public Safety responded quickly when she reported the incident.
“[Public Safety was] really attentive,” Beebe said. “They asked me lots of questions about what was taken and what time. … My only concern is that this has been going on for almost a month now and there hasn’t been anyone caught.”
Thomas Dunn, associate director and deputy chief for the Office of Public Safety, said Public Safety sent targeted emails to all residents in Emerson Hall and the Garden Apartments following the car burglaries and a burglary case in Garden Apartment 29 where a guitar was stolen. The emails encouraged students to practice safe habits, like locking their cars and apartment doors.
“When you leave your room, think of it like a hotel,” Dunn said. “If you were in a hotel, you wouldn’t leave your door unlocked to go to the bathroom or take a shower, you would lock that door when you leave it.”
Dunn said the college currently has campus safety officers who are sworn officers that do regular patrols of the campus, non-sworn campus security officers as well as Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol who do safety checks of parking lots and academic buildings.
Dunn said he wants students to look out for each other and report safety concerns as soon as possible so Public Safety can work to address them.
“If 4,600 of our people are all looking around and calling [OPS], what [a] safety force that is,” Dunn said. “Everybody can call, know our number, call and report, and we’ll come check it out.”
Nepa said communication between students and Public Safety is critical to ensure that Public Safety can effectively protect the campus community.
“We always err on the side of informing the community so that they can better prepare and that they can better protect themselves and other people within the community,” Nepa said. “[OPS] is a small but mighty team here and we rely so much on our community to take interest and investment in helping others feel safe and prepared and empowered.”
Burglaries similar to these have been reported around campus in the past. In 2016, there was a slew of reports that came in from the Circle Apartments, which resulted in about 11 break-ins.
Beebe said she feels that more surveillance during the late night hours around the campus is needed to keep students’ property safe, especially after hearing that friends have had similar experiences in the same location. Beebe said she is more conscious about safety measures and locking the doors in her apartment because of the break-ins.
“My roommates all said we have to be locking this [door] by 9 p.m. every single night because that’s scary, especially as an apartment full of women, that anyone can just walk in,” Beebe said. “Every time I go into my apartment, I have to make sure that the back door is locked. And, I don’t know, it’s just something that I never had to worry about in Ithaca.”
Public Safety offers resources like intervention workshops and crime prevention education to ensure students and faculty know how to prevent or respond to dangerous situations. Dunn said students can call the Office of Public Safety at 607-274-3333 if they have anything they feel should be reported.
Dunn said the investigations are still open and there is no suspect time. He emphasizes that students should look out for each other and make sure they know how to intervene in situations like these in the safest way possible.
“If you see something, say something,” Dunn said.
Editor’s note: Alyssa Beebe was a former assistant photo editor for The Ithacan.
