The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
After a late Saturday night on the strip, you return home to find your front door wide open. Your belongings are scattered throughout your apartment and some of the expensive electronics you have worked hard for or were given as gifts are gone.
There is no feeling worse than being burglarized.
According to the Uniform Crime Report, with a population of approximately 25,000, Carbondale reported 434 burglaries in 2003. That equates to 1.2 burglaries per day.
These facts do not factor in that 40 to 50 percent of burglaries go unreported.
In terms of theft, Carbondale has 811 reported cases of theft in 2003. This equals an alarming 2.2 thefts reported per day. To give some comparison to a similar town, we can look at Charleston, Ill., which Eastern Illinois University is situated. Charleston has a population of approximately 21,000. Charleston had only 108 burglaries reported in 2003 as well as 297 thefts.
Compared to the city of Charleston, Carbondale has about four times more burglaries as well as 2.7 times more theft. For a population that is only 4,000 more than Charleston, the comparison is certainly an eye-opening scare.
Yet, if you walk into a local Carbondale bar on any given weekend at night, there is a good chance you will notice local police officers routinely checking IDs for underage drinkers.
After about three or four underage violators are rounded up, they are marched out of the bar and promptly written expensive citations. The officers then return inside the bar to search for more young adults with the wrong color stamp.
We must remember that underage drinking is a victimless crime. While these officers are enforcing the law in the local businesses, houses are being broken into, thefts are occurring, and people are being made into victims.
Although underage drinking is certainly a problem and a concern, more attention needs to be paid to the bigger crimes - the crimes with victims.
In my three years in Carbondale, I have been burglarized three times. This includes being broken into twice and having an expensive bike stolen. Although these crimes were reported, they went unsolved, and the perpetrators are most likely still playing the same vicious game.
Three police reports later, with confidence lacking, I am still relying on the police for assurance that when I leave home, I won't have to worry about intruders coming in and scavenging through my belongings, taking what they can benefit from. Although I rely on the police to provide the protection I deserve, I am always skeptical and expect the worst.
Renters' insurance is becoming a necessity because of the awareness of these crimes taking place in Carbondale. Before coming to Carbondale, I was warned of the crime rate and the caution I must take. Although I methodically locked my doors when I left, the police presence was not strong enough to deter the criminal from breaking a window and slipping inside.
This may be because of our shared knowledge that the police in Carbondale are concerned and focused on enforcing drinking laws. SIUC now leads Illinois universities in number of reported thefts. This needs to be changed. Although these crimes will not be completely eliminated anytime soon, they can be decreased. The criminals can be deterred.
Carbondale needs to focus on the crimes that are a current trend. Burglaries and thefts are the crimes that need immediate attention so that no citizen is made a victim.
John is president of the SIU College Republicans. Right On appears every Wednesday. These views do not
necessarily reflect those of the
DAILY EGYPTIAN.
