Over the weekend, my house was burglarized. When I woke up Saturday morning, I noticed that the kitchen window screen was bent and popped out, suggesting that an intruder had removed the screen and entered our house, which is located blocks from campus.
My roommates and I checked to see if we were missing any of our belongings and were surprised to find that everything appeared to be intact and accounted for. While we were happy nothing was missing, it was unnerving to think that a trespasser had been in our house while we were sound asleep with only a door as a barrier. What did they want if they didn’t steal anything?
We filed a police report and an officer came to our house, took fingerprints, and gave us a somewhat motherly speech about making sure we secure our house at all times, even suggesting that we nail shut our old, insubstantial kitchen windows, especially since our house is occupied by six girls.
The incident sparked a question in my mind: how safe is San Luis Obispo? After a little research, it became clear that my house’s laid-back, lock-the-door-on-occasion attitude should be remedied.
According to Cal Poly University Police Department’s document “Campus Crime Statistics,” the crime rates from 2007 to 2008 have drastically increased. In 2007, there were seven on-campus burglaries, two burglaries in the residence community and 15 liquor, drug and weapon arrests on–campus and 11 in the residence community. Compare those numbers to 2008 statistics: 23 on-campus burglaries, nine burglaries in the residence community and 40 liquor, drug and weapon arrests on-campus and 33 in the residence community. While 2009 statistics are not yet available, the jump in numbers from 2007 to 2008 shows a substantial increase in crime.
Based on the climbing crime trend and the utmost seriousness in the police officer’s voice, I now intend on making sure that all windows and doors are secure before I leave the house and when I go to bed. Prior to this incident, I had never really put much thought into how safe I am on my quaint little street shared by college students and families alike. The police officer who came to our house suggested that she had recently received many calls regarding house burglaries, which made me curious as to how 2009’s crime statistics will compare to 2008’s.
While San Luis Obispo is considered to have a low to average crime rate for California according to online crime rate statistics, I would rather be safe than sorry.
How safe do you feel in San Luis Obispo?