Houses continue to be burglarized near university

By Johanna Mitchell

Kevin Sinkus returned to his Washington Street apartment on Jan. 4 to find that his home had been broken into while he was on vacation.

"Everything was flipped upside down and torn apart. It looked like a tornado had gone off in the apartment," said Sinkus, who transferred to Santa Clara in September.

The Chicago native estimates roughly $25,000 worth of property was taken from the apartment, including $10,000 worth of bicycles and parts, hockey equipment, and two guitars and amplifiers owned by Sinkus' roommate, Chris Gadek.

Other items taken from their apartment include a variety of electronics, DVDs, prescription medications and all of Sinkus' personal documents, including his birth certificate.

Several off-campus homes fell victim to burglary or attempted burglary over the winter break, including at least four Alviso Properties houses located on Panelli Place.

Another 63 cases of burglary and theft were reported during the 12-week fall academic quarter within a half-mile radius of campus, according to Santa Clara police. Among the cases were 12 residential burglaries, three commercial burglaries and 16 cases of grand theft.

Twelve thefts from vehicles and 20 cases of petty theft, where the theft of items stolen totaled less than $400, also occurred in the half-mile radius around campus this fall.

Lt. Mike Sellers, a Santa Clara police spokesman, said the actual number of these incidents may be higher, as many go unreported.

Basic security measures, such as locking house doors and keeping valuables hidden from plain sight, often fall by the wayside when several students living together are coming and going frequently and at all hours of the night.

"If you give the thief an opportunity, they are going to take it," said Shannon Lawson, a crime analyst for Santa Clara police, adding that more thefts are the result of houses and cars left unlocked than breaking and entering.

College students, Lawson said, are not necessarily targeted because of their demographic, but are among the most careless in being proactive about their safety.

In all the Alviso burglary cases over winter break, windows were broken to gain access to the house, stated landlord Jason Jones in a letter to his tenants.

Sinkus and Gadek had locked their apartment when they left for vacation, but found it unlocked when they returned, and Sinkus said the responding officer suggested the intruders entered through the bathroom window.

After assessing the damage and property loss in his apartment, Sinkus found that his car had also been broken into and the gas line had been cut. He will not receive compensation for property stolen from his apartment, as he does not have renter's insurance.

Jones stated in his letter that the Alviso houses have insurance for fires or other accidents, but they do not have insurance covering possessions of tenants. He recommended tenants purchase renter's insurance, which covers stolen items if a house is burglarized.

"The stuff I can never get back is what hurts the most," said Sinkus, who said he was told by police that his items may never be recovered, including letters from his grandmother, pictures of his grandfather and hockey awards.

Sinkus, a member of the university's hockey team, has been unable to practice without his equipment, and he is unsure if he will be able to participate on the cycling team unless any of the three bicycles that were stolen are recovered.

"A lot of times it is difficult to recover property," said Sellers, though he added that items with serial numbers or other engraved identification are more easily recognized.

The claim report is in the process of being reviewed, said Sellers, and a detective will likely be assigned to the case by today.

Between the months of January and June of 2006, the same area surrounding campus was the site of 18 residential burglaries, prompting police to call the area the most burglarized in the city of Santa Clara during that time period. Santa Clara police did not have data available to determine if it still is the most burglarized part of the city.

Contact Johanna Mitchell at (408) 554-4546 or jjmitchell@scu.edu.