According to records from the Columbus Division of Police, residents reported 18 break-ins in total in the University District, marking a 29% increase from last year’s 14 residential break-ins. Credit: Davis Beatty | Lantern Reporter
Joaquin Bello Thomas, a fourth-year in industrial engineering, was home for winter break in Cincinnati when he received an unexpected call from his neighbor.
Bello Thomas entrusted a neighbor with leaving a package in the kitchen while he was away. Little did the pair know, almost every room in the house had been ransacked, leaving the neighbor to walk into chaos.
“We really did not think this would happen,” Bello Thomas said.
Throughout the house, cabinets were flung wide open. Hangers were scattered around the bed, with no sign of the clothes that once hung there.
Bello Thomas and his roommates reported the break-in to the Columbus Division of Police. Though CPD was able to conclude the suspects broke in through a window and escaped through the back door, officers did not find enough information to determine a concrete suspect, he said.
Notably, Bello Thomas was not the only University District resident to experience a break-in over the winter holidays.
Within the three weeks many students were away, residents reported 18 break-ins in total, according to CPD records. This marks a 29% increase from last year’s 14 residential break-ins.
The university provides some resources to help students living off campus protect their homes from trespassers. More specifically, university spokesperson Dave Isaacs said the Office of Student Life provides free alarms for doors and windows.
When windows or doors are opened, these alarms emit a loud sound throughout the space, alerting residents to potential intruders, Isaacs said.
“Criminals don’t want attention called to what they’re doing, obviously, and so when that noise goes off, it alerts people that something is amiss,” Isaacs said.
After being burgled, Bello Thomas said he and his roommates increased their security with door sensors, an alarm system and security cameras.
“I feel safer now, not just because we have the security system, but I don’t think that after they robbed the house once, they were thinking of robbing it a second time,” Bello Thomas said.
Though Bello Thomas said he and his roommates did not use the university-provided alarms, Isaacs said the university has handed out more than 3,100 door and window alarms at the time of publication.
Students can request up to five free door and window alarms, which can be picked up at the Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement office — located on the third floor of the Ohio Union.
The university also provides a free online class titled “Stay Safe Buckeyes,” a program intended to educate students on crime prevention, how to report a crime, self-defense tactics and more, university spokesperson Dan Hedman said.
For off-campus housing, Hedman said break-ins should be formally reported to CPD as opposed to the Ohio State University Police Division.
“The university works closely with CPD through programs like joint patrol, which partners four full-time officers with CPD to patrol east of High Street,” Hedman said. “Since 2021, we’ve expanded police and non-sworn security patrols, added lights, camera and license plate reader technology and expanded our Lyft Ride Smart program.”
More information about Ohio State’s off-campus student safety measures can be found on the Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement office’s website.
