Some students leaving their homes in DeKalb for winter break may have returned to find they left behind holiday gifts themselves – for burglars.

Apartments on Greek Row and others west of Annie Glidden Road are among those hit hardest, DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes said.

DeKalb police received about nine reports of apartment burglaries in the Greek Row area since Dec. 10, Kayes said.

Police usually see a rise in burglaries during the holidays, Kayes said.

Many students leave their homes practically abandoned during the holidays, taking only their clothing, Kayes said. Valuables, particularly electronics, are left behind for burglars to seize.

“It’s easy pickings,” Kayes said.

Burglars will often find their victims by banging on a door to see if anyone answers, Kayes said. If somebody comes to the door, the burglar can then fake confusion and pretend to be looking for someone else.

The most popular stolen items are laptop computers, followed by video game consoles such as the Playstation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, Kayes said. Games, CDs, and DVDs are next on the list of most stolen items.

Joe Sosnowski, officer manager for Star Apartments Properties, said burglary incidents do occur from time to time, but they were no higher than normal during the break at Star Apartments. He said he was not aware of any burglaries at Star apartments over the break.

On-campus burglaries were low. University police reported three burglaries from Dec. 15 to Jan. 18.

“I don’t think we had a large influx of burglaries at all,” said University Police Lt. Matt Kiederlen.

Kiederlen said the lowered crime rate could be attributed to a competitive drive among officers to provide a higher level of service to their assigned residence halls and keep crime to a minimum.

University Plaza maintains the same staffing levels during the holiday break, Kiederlen said, and is not required to reduce security on campus.

Officers were expected to remain vigilant during the break. They patrolled halls and ensured doors were locked, Kiederlen said. Potential burglars have a greater window of opportunity with the reduced student presence.

Kiederlen said simple precautions could lower the risk of losing items to theft.

“Like any situation, if you’re leaving for an extended period of time, you want to be intelligent about how you leave your belongings.,” Kiederlen said. “Don’t leave things unlocked that shouldn’t be unlocked.”

Items that are particularly at risk for theft, such as laptops, should be taken home where they can be used and protected, Kiederlen said.

Keeping a home maintained can also deter burglars seeking out potential targets.

“Have a friend with a key go over and check on your place,” Sosnowski said.

Having neighbors check mail and collect newspapers also helps, Sosnowski said.