At least four burglaries have occurred on Home Ave. since the end of last semester. The most recent incident, which took place on Feb. 16, resulted in the theft of several laptops and other electronic equipment.

According to Director of Public Safety David Meyer, approximately 10 burglaries in residence halls and woodframe houses have been reported since the end of last semester, but the vast majority of the burglaries, including the Feb. 16 incident, showed no indications of forced entry.

“[On Feb. 16, the burglars] entered the building and multiple unsecured doors,” Meyer said. “They’re not kicking in doors here. Burglars don’t want to run into you. They’re trying to grab whatever they can get. The main point [for safety] is to secure your windows and doors.”

However, when 52 Home Ave. was broken into on Jan. 7, resident Owen Detlor ’07 came face to face with the burglar.

“I was walking home, and I saw a guy through my bedroom window,” Detlor said. “I entered the house, and when I opened the door he was standing directly in front of me holding my computer. I pushed him into the wall and started screaming, and he started pushing back, and we got into a little fight on my staircase.”

After a few seconds, Detlor’s computer fell on the ground, and he pushed the thief outside and down the porch steps.

“[That] is the best part of the story because then he fell and was lying on the ground,” Detlor said. “He ran away into the backyard, and I called 911.”

Police were unable to find the thief, and although he failed to steal Detlor’s computer, he made off with an iPod in addition to damaging a set of speakers.

“They are also not sure how he entered, but most likely it was through our ground floor window facing the street, because that window was unlocked, and the window screen had a 2-inch hole on the bottom that I hadn’t noticed before,” Detlor said.

Unfortunately for Detlor and his housemates, Jan. 7 was the second time the house was burglarized within a period of a few weeks.

“[The first time was] sometime between the end of last semester and when I returned to campus on Jan. 3,” Detlor said.

A computer and a speaker were among the items stolen in the first burglary.

Thieves also broke into 60 Home Ave., just two houses down from 52 Home Ave., during break. A computer, DVDs, jewelry, and alcohol were among the items taken. Oddly, not all the DVDs were taken, and it appears that the burglar sorted through them and chose only a select few.

“I wasn’t here over break, and I just got a call from my housemate saying that he had realized that things were missing,” said 60 Home Ave. resident Tessa Williams ’07. “I didn’t notice anything out of place. My room was unlocked, and I had speakers in my room, so I guess I just got lucky.”

“We’ve had a couple [incidents] in which very unique items were taken,” Meyer said, citing a separate incident in which various pieces of furniture and decorations were stolen.

According to Meyer, woodframe residents should take extra precautions against burglary.

“When you’re in a residence hall, there’s one window and a door,” he said. “The woodframes [have many doors and windows and] are older buildings, and students [living in them] need to be more responsible. If things break, they should let someone know.”

While there were several burglaries on Home Ave. over break, it was after the Feb. 16 burglary of 66 Home Ave., which is next door to 60 Home Ave., that Associate Director of Residential Life Maureen Isleib sent an e-mail to woodframe residents, reminding them to secure their houses while away or sleeping.

“There was no sign of forced entry but a door was found ajar,” she said in the e-mail. “Several laptops and other electronic equipment were taken while the residents were not home.”

Meyer stated that the burglaries on Home Ave. were similar to incidents that took place last semester in other campus locations.

“We’ve had a fair number of incidents where stuff was taken at Fountain [St.] parties in September,” he said. “In late September, we arrested one [Fountain St. burglar] and identified the other. In December, we had several items taken out of Foss Hill. Around December 10, two individuals were seen taking items there, and they were arrested, which put a stop to it for a while.”

According to Meyer, e-mails are often sent out only to residents of an area in which a burglary has taken place, but Home Ave. has not suddenly become a target for burglars

“Is there a crime wave on Home Avenue?” he said. “No.”

However, several Home Ave. residents have expressed concerns of vulnerability.

“At this point, we feel like sitting ducks,” Detlor said. “It seems like whenever everyone leaves a house at once, people can enter at will.”

Detlor’s sentiments contrast starkly with those of some former Home Ave. residents.

“I felt safe there,” said Nick Holowka ’07, a resident of 44 Home Ave. last year. “We did leave keys outside of the house in places where people definitely could have seen. I guess it was a false sense of security.”

Meyer mentioned the WesHome program, implemented last semester, in which members of the Physical Plant come to each woodframe house to discuss maintenance and other matters with residents, as one measure that has been taken to educate residents on the responsibilities of living in a house. He stressed the importance of reporting maintenance problems that may leave a home vulnerable to burglary.

Still, some residents say that other measures can be taken to prevent burglaries.

“I definitely do not think the University is doing enough,” Detlor said. “I think the University should install security systems in the houses.”