Residents encouraged to keep belongings safe during spring break

COLUMBIA — In response to a series of burglaries while students were on winter break, the Columbia Police Department will engrave valuable items in an area with a high student population before spring break.

The police department will hold an event to encourage people to take precautionary measures in order to ensure that their belongings are secure.

It is scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday on Churchill Drive behind Fire Station No. 8, according to a department news release.

The police department will have engravers on hand to mark valuable at-risk items such as game consoles, iPods and laptops to make them more easily identifiable.

Residents are also encouraged to notify neighbors they trust if they will be gone during the break. MU, Stephens College and Columbia College have spring break scheduled from March 27 to April 4.

These efforts are in response to a series of burglary reports in November and December, according to a press release from the police department. The efforts will focus in the southeast part of town where most of the burglaries occurred.