As students start returning to campus, the IU Police Department said it will resume its normal level of surveillance after a generally routine winter break.
“During breaks, we normally see a decline in all types of offenses, and this break has been no different,” IUPD Capt. Andy Stephenson said in email.
Because students and staff leave Bloomington for the winter hiatus, the police department can expect less activity and fewer calls for assistance. However, breaks can be a particularly common time for increased burglaries.
Areas that have the most potential for these incidents are typically off-campus residences that are still within a close proximity to campus.
“The vacant housing during breaks is an attractive target for thieves,” Stephenson said. “We work in partnership with the Bloomington Police Department to give the off-campus housing areas extra attention during breaks.”
BPD compiled statistics from 2015, and according to those records, 45.5 percent of all vehicle thefts happened to unlocked vehicles and 29.2 percent of burglaries happened to unlocked residences.
From Dec. 16 to Jan. 3, the maximum number of incidents IUPD reported for a single day was 13. Theft and driving under the influence were both just a few of those charges.
“Overall, the most prevalent crime on campus is usually theft,” Stephenson said.
On Dec. 20, an IU-Notify Alert was sent out to students. The alert indicated a suspect with a gun had been sighted near Union Street Apartments. However, after further investigation, no weapon was ever located, and IUPD determined there was no longer a threat, according to a press release from the day of the incident.
Dec. 23, 24 and 25 had no criminal activity in the IUPD crime logs. These days included Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the start of Hanukkah.
Regardless of the time of year, IUPD can be contacted in emergent and non-emergent situations. Feel free to contact them with any concerns or indications of danger.
“We remind everyone that all of us share the responsibility of keeping our campus community safe,” Stephenson said.
