Thanksgiving ghost towns in Ann Arbor ideal for burglars

With Thanksgiving just weeks away, a local crime trend abounds along with harvest and plenty.

When University of Michigan students head home to see their families and feast, areas of off-campus housing become ghost towns. Ghost towns are a target rich environment for burglars.

The Ann Arbor Police Department will blanket the area with as many extra patrols and plainclothes officers as staffing allows. But the area is difficult to surveil - and there are simply too many thieves and creepers in the area who will try to pillage, plunder and pilfer what they can while the students are away.

If you're a student or the parent of a student, it's essential to remove - or remind your child to remove - as many of their easily concealed valuables as possible. Remember toÂ LOCK THE #$&%@* DOORSÂ on the way out!

Laptop computers, cash, jewelry, GPS units, iPods and PlayStations will be the most common items stolen over the long holiday weekend. For those who must leave laptop and gaming computers behind, consider hiding them where a thief would have difficulty finding such items.Â

Remind students to back up their schoolwork from their laptops onto storage devices -memory cards, thumb drives and larger external hard drives - in case the laptop gets stolen or damaged. Obviously, the memory devices should be stored somewhere other than the laptop computer bag.

On a related note, the U-M Department of Public Safety has launched a new program inviting students and others at U-M to register their laptops. Once you've registered, you get stickers for your computer to deter criminals, and police can get your laptop back to you more quickly if it's stolen and then recovered.

Monday through Wednesday after the Thanksgiving break will be a busy time at the Ann Arbor Police Department's front desk. The majority of the larceny and home invasion reports will be taken there. Make sure the person reporting the theft has a list of the items stolen, including makes, models, and serial numbers of those items.Â

To save time, if you have to file a police report, print out a list of the property stolen and make several copies: one copy for the police who will appreciate not having to take the time to write out all that information while others wait in line behind you, one for your personal records and one for your insurance company.

For parents, now would be a great time to call your insurance agent or check your policies to make sure your children are covered if their room, apartment, house or car is broken into. Many homeowners' policies will cover losses sustained by students away at school, but other insurance companies will require renter’s insurance based on where your child lives and where a loss occurs.

For those of us left in town, remember: Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors.

Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.