When Princeton senior Caitlyn Hughes returned to campus after Thanksgiving break, it was to the news that her apartment had been burglarized.

“My roommate came back and saw that our front door had been kicked in,” she said. “She called the police right away.”

The burglar took two televisions, a Wii gaming system and jewelry.

“I’m mad, but we can’t do anything else about it,” Hughes said.

Police were able to lift a finger print from the scene, and they may possibly have a suspect, Hughes said.

Though officials say more theft occurs off campus during long breaks, it can occasionally be a problem on campus too.

No incidents of theft were reported on campus during the most recent Thanksgiving break, WKU Police Sergeant Ricky Powell said.

The last reported theft during a long break was during winter break of the 2009-2010 school year, he said.

A female Pearce-Ford Tower resident returned to her room from break and discovered that even though her door was locked, her television was missing, Powell said.

“There’s always security here over breaks, so that’s probably why there are so few incidents,” he said. “There’s someone here 365 days a year, and we may not work as many employees. But there’s always someone to do patrol.”

Barry Pruitt, public information officer for the Bowling Green Police Department, said most burglaries happen during long breaks, like Thanksgiving and winter breaks.

“We see these types of burglaries too frequently,” he said. “People leave, and they don’t pack up everything, like TVs and laptops.”

Off-campus houses and apartments are a “target-rich environment” when tenants aren’t home, Pruitt said.

“Criminals know that they’re gonna be gone, and they see it as an opportunity to burglarize,” he said.