Bloomington police report holiday break-ins

While many students were stuffing their faces with food, burglars stuffed their bags with belongings from Bloomington homes, police said.\nOver Thanksgiving break, Sgt. Bill Parker of the Bloomington Police Department said he received reports of several homes broken into and burglarized over the IU student vacation.\nDespite the string of robberies, Parker said there are "no common themes" between any of the break-ins and said they are isolated circumstances.\nParker said the cause of the break-ins was simply the time of the season.\n"The bad guys know that most of the homes are vacant during Thanksgiving break," Parker said. "It's the vacation situation. Obviously, criminals are more likely to break in if they think nobody will be there."\nBPD Sgt. Scott Oldham said it is a common occurrence and that's why it attracts criminals every year.\n"When you go to an apartment complex and you see four cars when their usually is 40, you know something is going on," Oldham said.\nOldham said the reports may seem inflated, though. \n"It also appears to be more break-ins because they are all reported at one time since people are just getting back," Oldham said. \nParker said he expects the same to occur during winter break.\nBut BPD will take preventative measures similar to ones taken every year, Oldham said.\n"The department always steps up patrols in the areas during these times," he said. "We try to cover areas which have predominately students, especially when they will be gone for an extended period of time."\nParker said many victims of burglary could have easily protected themselves through simple safety measures.\n"It's amazing how many people leave their doors unlocked or windows unlatched," Parker said. "If people checked things before they leave, they'd save themselves a lot of trouble."\nIn order to protect ones habitat, Parker suggested any one who notices unusual behavior or suspicious characters "peeking into people's home" should contact BPD. \nParker also suggested people avoid bragging about new electronic goods or excessively showing off to their neighborhood. \n"I remember when it was time to go away, I would take my valuables with me for safety reasons," Parker said. "I know that's troublesome and not practical all the time since a lot of students own computers, but it will minimize the loss."\nOldham added that the appearance of the home could work as a deterrent to burglars.\n"You should leave the lights on auto so it looks like someone is home," Oldham said.