thursday, november 20. 2003
news
the university daily kansan
HOME: Apartment complexes can be crime targets
CONTINUED FROM 1A
Sgt. Mike Patrick, Lawrence Police Department, said some crimes weren't reported, so those numbers were probably lower than the actual number of crimes.
Jessica Teague, TuckAway property manager, said she knew of residents having occasional break-ins but didn't think Tuck-Away had significantly more than any other complex.
Home defense
Because Brown, Fleumer and Dinovitz live at TuckAway, a complex that boasts excellent security, they were shocked that someone robbed their apartment.
The gate at the entrance to the complex, which requires a four-digit code to open, remains open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The gate is listed as a "luxury" feature on the complex's Web site.
It is also kept open at all hours for the first half of August every year, when many residents are moving, and when there's snow or ice on the ground to keep cars from sliding into the gate, Teague said. Each apartment is assigned a specific gate code when the residents move in.
Brown and her roommates knew that the gate remained open during the day and they were always a little frustrated and
uncomfortable that the security measure wasn't used more effectively. Brown said.
"What's the point in having it if it's always open?" she said.
Brown said she had seen people who weren't residents easily getting past the gate. All they had to do was follow another car through because the gate doesn't close between cars.
Residents also gave their codes out to their friends for them to use when they visit. Brown said.
It is against TuckAway's rules to give out the code. Residents sign an agreement stating they won't. If a resident gives his code out to someone and decides they no longer want that person in the complex, they can change their code for $50. Teague said.
After a $35 activation fee, customers must pay $29.95 a month for as long as they want the service.
TuckAway's other security measure is an optional alarm system that residents can activate through Rueschoff Security Systems, for a price.
"I'm already paying so much to live here," Fleumer said. "In my opinion, that should be included."
According to Rueschoff Security Systems, 75 percent of Tuck-Away residents actually activate the alarms.
Graystone and Trailridge don't have gates. Their entrances open onto Sixth Street, and anyone has
the freedom to drive through their parking lots.
Graystone Apartments has specialized locks on each door and window as security measures, Amy Fisher, project manager at Graystone, said.
Residents at Graystone can prevent anyone from entering their apartments by pushing a single button inside the apartment to lock all the doors and windows, Fisher said. If that button is activated, even the key won't open the doors.
Fisher also said that in emergencies, the police are the first to be called.
"We don't deal with middleman security" Fisher said.
Trailridge Apartments doesn't offer its residents any security measures other than door locks, Kim Gonzalez, Trailridge manager, said.
For the majority of students, the college years are the first when they are living on their own. Keeping their homes and belongings secure is the students' responsibility and being inexperienced might make them easier targets for burglar. Patrick said.
The company you keep
It is more likely that someone living on their own for the first time would forget to lock their door when they leave the apartment, he said.
rity Systems, said a college student's lifestyle made them easier targets as well.
Dan Shattuck, Rueschoff Secu-
Shattuck cited the hours that students tend to be home. He said it wasn't unusual for students to be out between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., hours
Number of thefts
A) TuckAway, 2600 W. Sixth St. 9
B) Graystone, 2512 W. Sixth St. 8
C) Trailridge, 2500 W. Sixth St. 8
D) Highpointe, West Sixth and Iowa streets 13
E) Hawker, West 10th and Missouri streets 7
F) West Hills, 1012 Emery Road 7
G) Colony Woods, 1301 W. 24th St. 3
H) Parkway Commons, 3601 Clinton Parkway 3
I) Jefferson Commons, 2511 W. 31st St. 13
* Includes theft from buildings and cars.
Lawrence area apartments
One way to deter criminals is to make people think you're home when you're not, Shattuck said.
He said timers on lamps could make it appear that someone was in the apartment at night, when no one was actually there.
If the only option is one lock on the front door, then make sure that it's locked at all times. Shattuck said, even when you're home.
when burglars often strike.
He also said because of the high concentration of college students in complexes like Tuck-Away, there could often be parties where guests wander unchecked from apartment to apartment. Sixty-five percent of TuckAway's residents are KU students, Teague said. Shattuck advised residents to be especially cautious when people they don't know are milling around the complex, even if the people aren't close to a particular apartment.
How to protect yourself
Police look for the point of entry first when investigating a break-in, Patrick said. One way students can protect themselves is to make sure all access to their home is as secure as possible, he said.
Shattuck said if the resident put the motion lights over an area like a secluded back yard to keep the criminals out, the lights might actually help the criminals.
Sean Smith/Kansan
Shattuck advised putting motion lights over areas only where the light would alert someone besides the criminal that something was going on, so someone could alert the police.
Motion lights, which turn on when they sense movement, can also be effective, but only in certain circumstances.
These measures must be approved by most landlords, Shattuck said, if the student rents. But, he said, security precautions are often offered through the lease or welcomed by landlords.
"They'll help them see what they're doing." Shattuck said.
At TuckAway, Brown and her roommates activated their alarm after they were victimized.
"If the locks aren't enough, and they obviously aren't," she said. "We had to do more."
Lesson learned
If she could go back, knowing what she knows now, Brown would spare no expense
The women also pay close attention to keeping the doors locked and windows closed.
The women said they had to get into the habit of double-checking the door every time they leave.
to secure her apartment.
They had one more scare, Brown said, when they were having another late night.
Brown said she and Dinovitz came home from a night out and several after-hours parties were underway. When Brown went to check to make sure the door was locked, she saw a man creeping behind the bushes in front of her apartment.
Brown said she had never seen the man before, so she shut and locked the door and double- checked all the other locks.
Brown wasn't convinced that the man intended to enter her apartment, but she said after her experiences, she wasn't taking any chances.
"Nobody thinks it will happen to them."
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