With the departure of many students during summer break, the Champaign Police Department said crime rates decrease during this time. However, officers added that’s no reason for students to be careless.

During the 2007 summer school sessions, there were 24 residential burglaries on campus and many laid-back students were targeted, said Champaign Police Crime Analyst, Gary Spear.

“We have numerous no-forced entry burglaries in the area because people leave their apartments unlocked for a roommate coming in late or a boyfriend/girlfriend,” he said.

Many students who do leave their apartments open are often robbed while sleeping, making situations even more dangerous, he said.

Aside from always locking doors, Spear advises students to always walk with someone or in a group during the evening, especially from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

“Students shouldn’t even cut through alleys just to save a couple minutes, it’s simply not worth it,” he said.

University Police Department Chief Jeff Christensen sent out a mass e-mail regarding student safety Tuesday as the second summer session began.

“We work closely with the chancellor’s office to remind students on how to be safe; we also do it to request their feedback in order to help us do our job,” he said.

The summer brings many freshmen on campus for registration. This was also a factor in sending the mass e-mail, said Tony Ortiz, Crime Prevention Coordinator for the University Police.

“When we do safety presentations during freshmen orientations, parents constantly address concerns they have about what we do to keep the students as safe as possible,” Ortiz said.

As soon as freshmen register, they receive their University e-mail account, and officials use it to their advantage to prepare the newcomers for the fall.

“It’s better for them to know about procedures and precautions now, instead of trying to instill it in them as soon as they get here when they are worried about a million other things,” Ortiz said. “This way, when they get here they’re ready to go.”