In recent weeks, several UW-Madison students living in the Vilas neighborhood have fallen victim to a rash of burglaries. Comparable stolen items, similar forced entries and the reoccurrence of backpacks used at the crime scene led victims to believe the numerous burglaries may be connected.
UW-Madison senior Emily Peterson and her five roommates were victim to a theft shortly after New Year's Day. She reports the perpetrator stole a laptop, valuable jewelry, two DVD players and all of their DVDs, as well as a backpack. The victims estimate the total value of stolen goods to be over $5,000.
Peterson said the thief gained entry to the house on the 1200 block of Mound Street by breaking the back-door window while all roommates were out of town for winter break.
In a similar instance, UW-Madison junior Fred Hunt and two of his roommates said they left their residence on the 100 block of South Orchard Street at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 15. When the three returned at 9 p.m. their house had been burglarized.
\We looked around in our living room and noticed that our shelf of DVDs was almost completely bare,"" Hunt said. ""The person had dropped a lot of the DVDs onto the floor because he probably tried brushing them into whatever he was putting them in.""
A digital camera, about 70 DVDs and a Game Boy were taken in the burglary along with the victim's backpack.
These burglaries, which all occurred within the same neighborhood, left some in the area uneasy and afraid.
""I didn't want to stay in the house alone,"" Peterson said. ""The chance of it happening a second time are slim but it still made me uncomfortable to stay there by myself.""
After another victim contacted CD Exchange, 521 State St., employee Eric Olle reported unknowingly buying stolen CDs late last week, but said he does not recall the person from whom he bought the items which totaled less than $20. According to Olle, the policy of the CD Exchange is to return any stolen goods that they might have.
""There are regular people that come in here and sell stuff,"" Olle said. ""I definitely had never seen the person before.""
Madison police officer Mary Ann Thurber said the police in the south district, which contains the Vilas area, are keenly aware of these activities in the neighborhood and are doing outreach.
""You don't want to advertise your assets,"" Thurber said. ""If you've got a Monet, don't hang it in the front window.""
UW-Madison Police Lt. Eric Holen suggested finding a trusted friend or family member to watch over the house if one will be gone for an extended period of time, and encouraged residents to monitor inherent weaknesses such as doors and other entryways. Both Holen and Thurber said proper lighting was an importantpreventative measure.
""We love lights. We want your house to look like Vegas 24 hours a day,"" Thurber said.
