Small campus vulnerable to car thefts

And sometimes this can come back to bite us in the butt.

We think so much that because we are able to stand at one end of campus and see straight to the other end that we’re untouchable and out of harms way.

But really we’re just deceiving ourselves.

Security doesn’t patrol campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week because they feel important when they do so. Emergency call poles aren’t located all across campus because they add to the scenery of our beautiful campus. And cars were made with locks and alarm systems for what some students at Franklin have recently found to be a very good reason.

With the excitement and hubbub that comes with major weekends like that of Grizzly Grand Prix, we tend to become even more lax in the way of safety and security than we typically are.

But this is exactly the time when we need to be most on our toes.

Over the weekend at least two Franklin students’ cars were broken into and possessions stolen from those vehicles – not to mention that the cars sustained damage as well.

By no means am I blaming the victims of these incidents for being the sad recipient of these break-ins. Rather, I am using them as examples for how even people who have taken the necessary precautions – such as locking their doors, investing in alarm systems and so forth are just as much at risk as anyone else. And definitely more so than those who don’t even bother to lock their car.

No one expects the kindly people of Franklin College to be the burglars who break into fellow students’ cars with the cover of night.  But we mustn’t rule it out. 

We must also remember that just because we live in our Franklin fish bowl, it doesn’t mean that other people don’t drop by and intrude every once in awhile. People from other schools are constantly visiting friends on campus and the people of the city of Franklin share our college campus with us on occasion, strolling through on a walk or a bike ride at times.  

These people we don’t know as well – and we can’t expect to respect our property.

I encourage you – as unnecessary as it may seem to you – to take the precautions for keeping your possessions safe:

1. Lock your car doors even if you don’t think you have anything worth stealing. Don’t even make it a temptation to others walking by.

2. Invest in an alarm system for your car if you can. Most people looking to rob a car will be dissuaded from newer looking vehicles because they tend to have these alarm systems.

3. Don’t leave valuables in your car – especially out in the open. As tempting as it is to just let your iPod sit in your dock, bring it inside.  

4. Report any suspicious people lurking around cars, peering into windows and keep your ears open to any talk or bragging about successful car break-ins.

There is no doubt that I am one of those people who feel like Franklin College is anything but safe, yet the sad reality is that sometimes we need to prepare for what the real world brings.