Knox Box apartments burglarized in recent weeks

After four or five Knox Boxes were broken into during the past two weeks, residents are doing everything from double-checking their doors are secure at night to buying dogs to ward off unwanted visitors.

Although Prince George's County Police Department District 1 Commander Hector Velez said burglaries such as these are fairly common, the incidents prompted property manager Gosia Sylla to send an email to residents Monday entitled "Break-ins! URGENT!" It detailed safety tips and procedures that residents should take — such as deadbolting doors at night and locking windows — and Sylla wrote that Knox management would like to organize a meeting during which residents meet with the "City of College Park police department," which does not exist.

Velez said while police are currently investigating each case, they do not have any suspects and county police did not have more information available on the incidents. Knox Box officials declined to comment.

"We're in the process of investigating and developing leads, but we don't have much in the way of suspect information," Velez said. "At this point, we're trying to piece things together and see if there's a trend. All these break-ins may be linked, but they also may not be linked."

Police said some break-ins have not been anything out of the ordinary — stolen laptops and game consoles.

Camden Kent, a junior economics major and Knox Box resident, said several of his belongings were stolen out of his apartment two weeks ago. His laptop, Xbox, power cables and backpack were reported missing after a party at his residence Sept. 25, he said.

In response, Kent and his roommates bought a dog for protection.

"Manny's still a puppy," Kent said of the new dog. "He's not big and scary yet like we want him to be."

Two students, Alan and Dan Aiken, both seniors, came home Sunday morning to their Knox Box apartment to find an unknown Marine sleeping on their couch, the brothers told NBC Washington. The 20-year-old Marine told police he had been celebrating his birthday and thought he had fallen asleep in his own home.

"I don't think he even lived in the area," Velez said. "I think he was just that intoxicated."

Velez added police do not think the Marine had intended to steal any of the residents' belongings.

"It's not unusual, especially dealing with a college town," Velez said. "A lot of times people have other people over, and they see something they like or something they want, and they come back two days later and take it."

Several residents said the break-ins have not caused them any extra anxiety.

"We're not scared, so much; it's more worried," Kent said. "I don't think anyone would come in with the intention of harming us; they just want to steal our stuff. I'm pretty sure it's college students stealing this stuff, but it is super creepy, though."

Other Knox Box residents said they will continue to ensure their apartments are secure at night.

"You just have to make sure you leave everything locked," said senior animal science major Eugene Skinner.

Skinner, who lives in a basement apartment of a Knox Box, added that he would like the incidents to be thoroughly investigated and for Knox Box officials to do more about the incidents than just sending emails to residents.

"It would give me more peace of mind, though, if there was more being done to prevent more of the serious crimes, like these," he said.

egan@umdbk.com