One night last spring, senior Bryon Nied walked into his house at Fifth and Grand after a long night of studying. The front door was unlocked, as he and his roommates rarely locked it. But that night, the back door, which was usually kept locked, was unlocked too.

Nied walked through the living room and into the kitchen to find their microwave and bottles of liquor missing.

“At first we thought it was a prank,” Nied said, joking that the burglar passed by a nice stereo system to take an antique microwave.

Nied later concluded that he walked in while a burglar was in the house, scaring him or her out the back door. Nied’s roommates were asleep upstairs.

“We didn’t lock our doors because we had never heard of anyone having any problems,” Nied said.

Although Eau Claire has a reputation of being a safe city and students often leave their cars or houses unlocked, Eau Claire police officer Jason Ruppert warns students they should not be so trusting.

Student houses are often robbed during breaks when burglars know students are out of town. Car break-ins and thefts are also a problem.

“People leave the car running to warm up, or when they run in their house when they forget their books, or when they do their quick shopping, and sometimes that results in a theft of a vehicle,” Ruppert said.

In an average week, there are three to five missing vehicles in Eau Claire, one from the Water Street area, Ruppert said.

When a vehicle is stolen under those circumstances, the owner of the car could be fined $175 because it is a violation of city ordinance to leave a car unattended “without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key and taking it with them.”

Students need to be aware of city ordinances to prevent situations where fines are incurred and students don’t realize their behavior is wrong, Ruppert said.

A common citation for off-campus students is for “improper storage of furniture,” better known to students as watching TV outside on the front lawn.

Eau Claire police contacted 66 houses during the summer to give verbal warnings about having indoor furniture outside, Ruppert said.

“Most everybody down there has been warned at least once, so we’ll probably take strict enforcement if it continues,” he said.

Students should also be aware of fines related to partying. The fine for a loud party is $349.

“That’s a ticket we’re writing a lot right now,” Ruppert said. “If we pull up and it is loud, there is no warning, that is a citation.”

If underage people are drinking at a party, the people who live in the house or dorm room throwing the party can be fined $411 each, for each underage person drinking.

As for the underagers themselves, fines start at $225. If they are cited with disorderly conduct another $175 can be tacked on, and if they leave the party with an open container, the fine is $175.

“It is in the student’s best interest to cooperate with officers when they arrive,” Ruppert said. “Cooperation from the police and students helps promote a working relationship.”