The Aquinas

University and Scranton Police have been busy in the Hill Section this week. According to community advisories, individuals are taking advantage of unlocked doors to gain access to University students’ homes.
University Police issued two community advisories about Hill Section crime this week. The most recent advisory details a home invasion in the 500 block of Taylor Avenue.
According to the report, three males entered the home Sunday night through an unlocked door and robbed the residents at gunpoint. A Times-Tribune article says two males first knocked on the front door of the home, and one resident let them inside. The article says the two males asked to go upstairs to use the bathroom, and while on the second floor together, one suspect made a phone call. Three other males then entered the home through an unlocked back door. Armed with guns and knives, the suspects demanded the victims’ cell phones and cash. The Times-Tribune article says the suspects got away with about $75 in cash and valuables as well as some marijuana.
Another community advisory issued only hours before the Taylor Avenue home invasion described another Hill Section burglary. According to the report, two University students observed two males leaving the students’ off-campus home with their property. As with the Taylor Avenue incident, access was gained to this home through an unlocked door.
University Police Chief Don Bergmann said University Police has stepped up patrols in the Hill Section, and officers are reminding off-campus residents to lock their doors.
“The University and the Scranton Police Department have committed interests in the off campus neighborhoods, and we have increased patrols,” Bergmann said.
“We’ve increased our presence and remind people to lock their doors and lock their windows,” Bergmann said. “We’ve distributed a few community advisories this semester about incidents where access was gained through unlocked doors.”
Junior Suzanne Givnish, a Hill Section resident, said she is taking precautions after the recent crime.
“We always lock our doors,” Givnish said. “The people across the street from us are a little strange.”
According to a Times-Tribune article published Thursday, Scranton police arrested four Lackawanna College students Wednesday morning in connection with the Taylor Avenue home invasion. The article says the four have been expelled from Lackawanna College, and charges are pending against the fifth man who entered the home that night.
With Thanksgiving break less than a week away, Chief Bergmann is reminding students to secure their off-campus houses and valuables before heading home for the holiday.
“It’s a good time to remind everyone we have an extended weekend coming up — off-campus residents shouldn’t leave anything of value in these houses,” Bergmann said. “Take things home with you.”
“We repeatedly remind students that safety is a joint responsibility, and they have to take some basic precautions,” Bergmann said. “You’ve got to lock the doors, both during the day and at night. Although this is a relatively safe community, it is an urban environment.”
“With living off campus comes certain added responsibilities.”
By Christopher Dolan
Staff Writer