By Live WireStaff Members

Originally published in the October 29th, 201 issue of the Live Wire Newspaper

 

The Fall 2018 semester at Manchester Community College began with students new to campus, fresh notebooks and two armed robberies occurring the parking lots.

Neither incident led to serious injuries and alleged perpetrators have been arrested in both cases. But both have raised concerns about staying safe on campus.

In the first incident on Sept. 19, a female MCC student attempting to complete an online purchase exchange was allegedly robbed at gunpoint when she entered the car of the individual to whom she thought she was selling her phone. Fortunately, she was uninjured and reported the incident to MCC Police, wrote Dean of Student Affairs Peter Harris in an email to the campus community.

On Sept. 28, the MCC Police arrested Lucien Caron. He was charged with 2nddegree assault and 1stdegree attempted robbery. He is of no certain address, and was taken into custody without incident, with the assistance of the Manchester Police Department.

Later in September another alleged armed robbery occurred, on Ramey Drive near Founders Drive North. It took place inside a vehicle. Neither the assailant nor the victim are currently MCC students. The victim sustained non-life threatening minor injuries to his neck during the struggle. The victim jumped from the moving vehicle and the suspect vehicle fled the area without further incident.

The first incident revealed the dangers of buying and selling items online that require you to meet with someone in person.

“Sites like Craigslist, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace make it easy for all of us to buy and sell online,” wrote Harris, “but they are also fertile territory for scam artists and other criminals.”

Individuals should always use caution when making sales or purchases online, especially when a meeting is required; a common scam is for a suspect to offer a fake product, or offer to buy a product, in order to prompt a meeting.”

 

He offered several guidelines for these kinds of meetings:

 

  • Insist on a public meeting place, like a coffee shop, where there are other people around. The Manchester Police Department encourages residents to use the station parking lot for such transactions; it is well lit, the station is staffed 24/7, and there are cameras in the lot. Police stations in surrounding towns may offer the same protections; check with your local PD before setting up an exchange of goods.
  • Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home or car. Do not go into a stranger’s home, an unknown building or a vehicle.
  • Be cautious if meeting more than one person; the buyer/seller may distract you while his/her accomplice engages in the crime.
  • Be especially careful when buying/selling high value items.
  • Tell a friend or family member where you are going, and bring someone along if you can.
  • Take your cell phone with you; know how to access its emergency SOS feature.
  • Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
  • If something untoward does happen, be sure to report it, so that there is a chance that others won’t be similarly victimized.

 

Harris ended his note to the campus with an entreaty.

“Remember that anyone of any age or gender can be victim of this type of crime,” he wrote. “I encourage all of you to exercise extreme caution when meeting up to complete an online transaction.”

 

Tips to stay safe on campus from the Manchester Community College Police Department:

  1. Personal safety and crime prevention starts with you, your use of common sense, and your
    actions.
  2. Be aware of your surroundings: Pay attention to what you’re doing, where you are, and who is
    around you.
  3. Don’t leave valuables unattended: Don’t leave your purse, wallet, back-pack, cellphone, or
    textbooks on a table and walk away. It only takes a second for someone to grab them.
  4. Textbooks are expensive and therefore a target of theft. To reduce their value to a thief (who
    wants to re-sell them), write your name on the inside cover and put identifying marks on several
    pages (e.g. your driver’s license number of the same page of each book you own). This will
    assist you, the Bookstore, and the police identify a book if it is stolen.
  5. Keep your car locked at all times: This means when you’re parked on campus, in your
    driveway, or when you’re driving down the street.
  6. Park in well-lit areas: Have your keys in your hand when you leave a building to go to your car.
    That way you won’t be fumbling around for your keys when you reach your car and the keys can
    be used as a defensive weapon.
  7. Check the back seat before you get into the car: Thieves can hide there waiting for you.
  8. Keep any valuables (purse, cell phone, electronics, textbooks) out of sight: Lock valuables in
    the trunk of your vehicle if you must leave them in the car.
  9. If you are alone and feel uncomfortable walking to your car: contact the MCC Police at 860-
    512-3680 and an escort will be provided to you.
  10. If you feel that you’re being followed or you sense something is wrong, take action: Head
    for a well-lit area where there are other people or go to an emergency phone where you will be in
    direct contact with the police. Blue emergency phones are strategically located throughout the
    campus parking lots. Don’t isolate yourself or try to hide. Don’t hesitate to dial 911!
  11. Report it: Report any suspicious activities, persons, or vehicles on campus to the MCC Police
    immediately.
  12. Crime prevention is a team effort and the police would always prefer checking on something that
    turned out to be “nothing” rather than not learning about something that turned out to be serious.