A majority of students will leave Athens during winter break, which means more than half of Athens' houses, apartments and rooms will be empty and a target for theft and property damage.

The Athens Police Department, OU Police Department and Residence Life staff members are informing students about how to prevent theft and keep their property secure when they are not residing in Athens during winter break.

Residence hall staffs hold closing floor section meetings to inform on-campus students of proper closing procedure, said Biddle Hall Resident Director Rebecca Willis. Students receive a checklist of things to do before leaving.

Locking windows and doors, taking home valuables and unplugging electrical appliances are suggestions on the checklist. Residence Assistants check all rooms after the students leave to ensure students have completed each task.

Residence hall staffs change locks on outside doors so even students with keys will not be able to get in the buildings, Willis said.

OUPD Lt. Chris Johnson said criminals are more likely to break into ground-floor rooms. Officers look for various clues to determine if a theft has occurred.

"We look for changes in the environment," Johnson said. "We look for windows that are broken and doors that are pried open."

Electronics are most susceptible to theft while clothes rarely are taken, Johnson said.

Off-campus students normally do not receive information about how to lock up. As a result, they often do not think about the possibility of theft during winter break, said Ron Minto, Student Senate off-campus housing commissioner.

"It's easy to break into student neighborhoods because people are not around," Minto said.

But taking precautions such as locking all doors and windows and taking valuables home will help prevent thefts, he said.

Having a friend or landlord periodically check the property and temporarily stopping mail service also will decrease the possibility of theft, he said.

"An overflowing mailbox is a good sign that no one lives there," Minto said.

Johnson said students should engrave items with their name and social security number. Recording the name of the item, the model number and the serial number can increase the odds of a stolen item being recovered significantly .

Students also should photograph their rooms to give police a better idea of what to look for in case of theft.

In addition to being concerned about theft, off-campus students also need to be concerned about protecting their property, Minto said. Unplugging electrical devices will prevent fires and setting the thermostat temperature above freezing will prevent water pipes from bursting.

Although the threat of crime or property damage is real, many students say they don't worry about it.

"I'm not going to live my life under lock and key," said freshman Sam Williams. "The only thing I can do is shut the door and keep it locked, hope nobody breaks in the window and pray."

Sophomore Chrissy Stada said she is comfortable knowing police patrol the greens.

"I have confidence in the police department, but there is no way they can stop theft from happening. There isn't enough of them to cover every building 24 hours a day," she said.

Junior Aaron Urbas said, "I'll lock my doors and windows and pray for the best. (The police will) do their job as best they can, but we all know what that means. They're more worried about parking violations than real crime."