Although last week police officers arrested two men suspected of burglarizing her apartment, Emily Weiss still worries about going home at night.
“I think I hear sounds at night,” said Weiss, a Communication junior. “Until our landlord provides us with alarms, we’re not any safer.”
Recent burglaries of off-campus houses have made security a high priority for Northwestern students living on their own.
“We live in a relatively nice neighborhood,” Weinberg senior Adam Boscoe said. “But living in Evanston, we feel separated from Chicago (crime) when we’re obviously not.”
Students such as Boscoe, whose apartment was burglarized over Thanksgiving break, have taken the initiative to step up safety measures.
Boscoe consulted a retired Evanston police officer through the Evanston Community Foundation, an independent, publicly funded organization that gives grants to local groups. The officer assessed Boscoe’s apartment for weak spots and suggested security improvements.
“I was really disappointed that I didn’t hear about him sooner and that it wasn’t talked up more by the Evanston police and Northwestern because (the service) is free,” he said. “It’s a great resource.”
Boscoe and his roommates presented their landlord with the officer’s list of items to fix and insisted she make the changes. Their landlord acted on a few of the major recommendations, such as installing lights and pry guards and iron bars over the the doors and windows.
“We feel pretty good,” Boscoe said. “The light in back is the biggest improvement. Before, the apartment was pretty dark. Now it’s harder to carry out a TV unnoticed in the middle of the night.”
It took an actual burglary before Weinberg senior Vicki Burack’s apartment saw tighter security.
Burack said she and her roommates heard someone attempt to break into their apartment before Thanksgiving break. They talked to their landlord and asked for more security, such as better locks, but said their landlord was unresponsive.
After their apartment was burglarized during Thanksgiving vacation, Burack said they forced the landlord to add an alarm, pry guards on the doors and Plexiglass over the windows.
“It’s been such a headache,” Burack said.
Steven Sims, who rents out several houses near the campus, said that he has stressed to his tenants the importance of security. Sims said he keeps his property up to Evanston code and encourages students to do more.
“I’ve suggested they call security companies, who can put in pretty inexpensive security systems with motion detectors when they’re away, since break-ins usually happen when students are on vacation,” Sims said. “Safety is of the utmost importance and on the top of our list.”
Landlord Bilha Salomon said students need to be more aware of the possibility of burglaries. Salomon said she often finds herself checking her property and closing the doors and windows of negligent students.
“Since I work downtown, I drive next to (the property),” she said. “I saw that you could literally jump in. The window was open and the screen was out. Someone could have hopped in in two minutes and stolen things, but luckily no one did.”
Salomon said she thinks sealing off all of the entrances will solve most burglary threats.
These increased security measures have put more NU students at ease. Many said that they now feel safer in their apartments.
Weinberg junior Dan Carew said that installing dead bolts on all of the bedroom doors has made everyone in his house feel safe after burglars invaded their home last year.
Some students made sure to live in well-lit areas with high traffic to minimize possible threats.
Others simply said they feel safe living around other students. Communication senior Josh Fingerhut said although it seems easy to barge through the doors of his apartment building, he’s surrounded by other student tenants who watch out for each other.
“You live around fellow students so that’s adequate enough,” Fingerhut said. “But there is that shred of doubt that some strong guy could easily come and break in.”
Reach Kendra Marr at [email protected].
