The Georgia Tech Police Department encourages students to secure their belongings and property over the upcoming winter break. Parents, please help us reinforce the following points with your students:

• Lock your door before you leave. If you share your residence with a roommate, remind them to always lock it and let them know your schedule for returning.
• Secure your windows and lock them. Close the blinds or curtains. This will decrease the chance of someone looking into your dorm room when you are away.
• Your BuzzCard is more than identification. If you lose your BuzzCard be sure to report it immediately so we can deactivate your card. Otherwise, someone else may be dining on your BuzzFunds.
• Conceal any money or valuables in a diversion-type safe or other locked container. Diversion safes come disguised as a number of familiar commercial products and can hide your valuables without attracting any attention to them.
• Take expensive electronics with you. If you cannot take it with you make sure to place it in an area that is out of plain site, for example in a drawer, under the pillow, in a closet behind or beneath clothing.

Make sure to sign up for Jacket Guardian. This is a free opt-in system that transforms mobile phones into personal safety devices, enabling the GTPD and any Smart911 center to instantly access a user’s profile information in an emergency. With Jacket Guardian’s timer feature, users can also inform the GTPD of their intended destinations, specifying the expected time of arrival; police will receive an alert if the timer expires. Register online at www.guardian.gatech.edu.