10:03 a.m., Dec. 14, 2009----With students headed home or out of town as the semester ends, the Newark Police Department is teaming up with University of Delaware Police to offer students some helpful tips to remember before leaving after finals. Newark Police are proactively pointing out to students that they can take steps to make their homes and cars less attractive targets for criminals.

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The one simple thing anyone who is hoping to avoid becoming a burglar's victim can do is to lock your doors before you leave town. “Students leave for the holidays and thieves know that,” says Corp. Gerald Bryda of the Newark Police Department. “We're just trying to raise some awareness, because a lot of these crimes are simply crimes of opportunity and can be prevented.” Last year during winter break, thieves broke into 15 homes and 37 cars.

Because these types of crimes tend to increase during the holidays, police are stepping up their crime prevention outreach effort. They are working with the University of Delaware to send an e-mail to all students with a list of tips on how to protect their property. This week, letters also will be mailed to areas of the city primarily occupied by students listing the tips and also recommending that they take home with them anything of value they do not want stolen, such as jewelry, a laptop or iPod.

Upon returning to Newark, should there be any concerns, students should immediately report any theft or incident that is suspicious in nature to the police.

Newark Police offer several tips designed to help people protect their homes and vehicles from becoming a thief's target:

--Always lock doors and vehicles, even when you are home.
--Do not leave valuables visible through a window.
--Do not pack your car the night before you leave and leave it outside.
--Park in busy and well-lit areas.
--Record serial numbers or mark valuable property with your driver's license number.
--Report suspicious people and circumstances to police.

In addition to the above, the University Police remind students who live in the University residence halls to:

--Lock the door to your room when you leave.
--Take valuable jewelry, laptop computers, or expensive electronic devices home with you. Make sure that your bicycle is secured with a good bicycle lock.
--As you are packing to leave, make sure your belongings are not left unattended outside your vehicle.

Other helpful tips:

--Keep the heat on. It is recommended that the thermostat be set at 65 degrees and the cabinets underneath all the sinks be opened for better air circulation.
--Unplug all holiday lights and unnecessary appliances.
--Remove any live Christmas trees if there is no one to maintain them.