The Student News Site of Central Oregon Community College

The Broadside

The Student News Site of Central Oregon Community College

The Broadside

The Student News Site of Central Oregon Community College

The Broadside

“Lock It or Lose It”, says Campus Public Safety

“Lock It or Lose It”, says Campus Public Safety

“Lock It or Lose It”, says Campus Public Safety

 

“The best way to protect your valuables is to lock them up”, according to Don Doughty, the Crime Prevention Officer for COCC’s Campus Public Safety department. “The extra few seconds it takes is well worth the time”, according to Doughty. “Lock It or Lose It” is a national campaign, designed to educate everyone on how important this simple step can be in preventing property crimes. Doughty states that many crimes are simply a crime of opportunity, and by ensuring your valuables are secure, a potential crime may be prevented. He further stated that this program focuses on locking the doors of your homes and vehicles, but here at COCC, it can include additional measures as well. “On our campuses, students and staff should focus on locking vehicle doors, classroom doors, dorm room doors, and also their bicycles.”

National statistics show that opportunistic thieves target unlocked vehicles and steal valuable items, particularly GPS units, IPODS, and computers. Each year $1.26 billion in personal items are stolen from unlocked vehicles. A group of thieves can move through the area very quickly and enter these vehicles. The vast majority of the time thieves will move past a locked vehicle because they don’t want to expend the time or risk getting caught trying to enter it. Approximately 90% of the burglaries committed were to unlocked vehicles. “If you choose to leave valuables in your car, then take the extra second to lock it,” Doughty suggests.

Also, remember that windows and sun/moon roof (if equipped) allow a thief a quick and quiet way to enter your vehicle. Even a crack in the window makes a thief’s job so much easier. Verify that your vehicle windows are rolled up and the sun/moon roof is closed before leaving the vehicle. One second may save you days of inconvenience and money.

Doughty states that even though the property crime rate at COCC is low, “our ultimate goal is to see these numbers at zero. By everyone working together, this can become a reality.” He states we can all do a better job by telling our friends, co-workers and classmates when we notice they leave something valuable unlocked.

Doughty also reminds us that we can all make an impact at keeping our campuses safe by reporting suspicious activity to Campus Public Safety at (541) 383-7272. Doughty states “We’re here 24 hours a day, and all night too!”

 

Don Doughty | Crime Prevention Officer at COCC’s Campus Public Safety department

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