Campus Crimes: Home Break-ins In Plymouth

Plymouth is one of those small towns that gives off the feeling that it's safe because of its size. For the most part, that is true, but there are exceptions. There may not be people getting mugged on a regular basis, but there are still people desperate enough to steal from their community.

University Police Department Chief Rick Bailey said, "On campus break-ins can happen, but not a lot."

Back in late December and early January, there were several home break-ins in Plymouth. Three houses  were broken into, two on Langdon Street and one on Russell Street.

Plymouth State University students currently occupy theses houses. Collectively there was over $5000 stolen in cash and personal property.

"The biggest thing I can say is that people leave their windows and doors open because of the nice weather. Most on-campus crimes are crimes of opportunity. Somebody is walking and sees something that they can do, and they go for it," said Bailey.

The Langdon Street residents were less than impressed with the way the situation was handled. One of the residents, PSU junior Ben Haskell said, "There isn't anything that can be done now. The police were not very informative, and I knew they wouldn't be able to find who did it. Even our landlord refused to get a dead bolt or another lock on the door because 'if a person wants to get in they will.'

Shoes, multiple video game consoles and accessories, money, snowboard goggles, iPods, a video camera, survival/pocket knives, alcohol, and gift cards were all taken from the Langdon houses during the break-ins.

"There's no need to even lock your door it will just get kicked down regardless, and the police are basically useless so don't waste your time giving them a detailed report," said Langdon St resident, PSU senior Andrew Garbino. 

When asked what it was like to have your privacy invaded Garbino said, "It's very uncomfortable knowing that strangers were in your house going through all of your personal belongings and taking things that are of value to you."

The house on Russell Street had a similar experience. The resident, wished to remain anonymous for their safety said, "Over $4,000 was stolen from our house, and although the culprit was caught he is still attending school here. The UPD were no help to us. They victimized us and let the PSU  Wrestler who committed the crime get away easy."

The victims of the break-ins are disgruntled, to say the least, with how things were handled. When asked about how the break-ins were handled, Chief Bailey said that the University Police were not involved and that it was a Plymouth Police Department matter. He advised that the best thing to do to keep personal things safe is to keep doors locked and windows shut. More importantly, register your valuables with UPD.

"All electronics can be registered with us. Students can come down and register their things with us in case they're stolen," said Chief Bailey.

If anyone has any information in regards to any home-break in case call the Plymouth Polic at (603) 535-2330 or The Plymouth Police Dept. at (603) 536-1804.