Theft and Burglary Prevention
By taking precautions to protect your belongings and yourself, you will save yourself a great deal of grief, loss, and pain. Here are some safety rules that will protect you from personal harm as well.
Theft and Property Loss
LOCK… the door to your dorm room, even if you are leaving for just a moment. This includes making sure the entry doors to the residence hall stays locked too.
Know the people you let into your room. Don’t let strangers, or people you don’t know very well into your room or dorm, even if they look like they belong there.
Memorize… and program police and safety phone numbers into your phone. (This saved the four students in a recent Morehouse College car-jacking) Report any suspicious activity immediately. Become very familiar with campus safety.
TAKE… a self-defense course that teaches you to be aware of your surroundings, and use common items as weapons.
Motor Vehicle Burglary Prevention
HIDE…valuables from site; even better, take all items of value with you. If a criminal doesn’t see anything, they’re less likely to break in to your vehicle and will proceed to the next vehicle to “window shop”. Remember to hide valuables before parking and leaving your vehicle. Give a would-be thief absolutely no reason to burglarize your car.
Remember – It all starts with YOU!
LOCK…your vehicle. Yes, it only takes seconds to break a window, but doing so makes noise – and criminals hate noise. Locking your vehicle also means “securing” your vehicle. You also want to make sure that all windows are rolled up before locking your vehicle. Also, if you have a car alarm please make sure it is working properly – and use it!
TAKE…your keys. Unfortunately, it is still common practice for individuals to leave their keys in their car and/or in the ignition when unattended. Police officers often come across unattended vehicles with the keys in the ignition and engine running. This is not only bad practice, but it is a violation of the Texas Transportation Code.
*Remember there is no 100% fool-proof way to prevent all crime. You can make yourself less likely to be a victim of Motor Vehicle Burglary by following the above practices and using common sense. Simply locking your vehicle and removing property is half the battle! Report ANY suspicious activity, and/or person(s) to the Police Department at 713) 313-7000.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” ~Ben Franklin
Laptop Computer Theft Prevention
Don’t leave a laptop in an unlocked vehicle, even if the vehicle is in your driveway or garage, and never leave it in plain sight, even if the vehicle is locked.
- Carry your laptop in a nondescript carrying case, briefcase, or bag when moving about.
- Going to lunch, or taking a break? Don’t leave a meeting or conference room without your laptop.
- Lock the laptop in your office during off-hours.
- Don’t have your own office? Use a cable-locking device that secures to a desk/table or put the laptop in a locked closet or cabinet.
- Don’t let unaccompanied strangers wander around in your workplace.
- Offer assistance and deliver the visitors to their destinations.
- Make and engrave your laptop with your driver’s license number or company name and inventory number.
- Consider purchasing one of the new theft alarm systems specially made for laptops.
- Be aware that if your computer is stolen, automatic log-ins can make it easy for a thief to send inappropriate messages with your account.