Austin Police on preventing hotel burglaries

Austin Police are warning hotel guests to keep their valuables locked up. There have been hotel burglaries during South by Southwest Conference in the past and police want to prevent them from happening again.

During SXSW, people bring an array of electronics. They are pricey and exactly what burglars are looking for.

"I have a lot of stuff. Camera equipment, I have a laptop and a couple phones that I brought with me," says Peche Di, SXSW speaker, Trans Models New York.

Peche Di has had her stuff stolen before and she doesn't want that to happen again. There's no safe in her downtown hotel room, so she improvised.

"I put my important and expensive stuff in my luggage and I lock my luggage," says Peche Di. 

Austin Police want SXSW guests to enjoy their time here, which is why they are giving out safety tips to prevent hotel burglaries.

"Dont put the "make up this room" sign on your door when you're leaving. Go ahead and leave your "do not disturb" sign and tv on. This could be a really good deterrent if someone wants to burglarize your room," says Officer Destiny Winston, Austin Police Department.

Austin Police say back in 2012, there was a rash of hotel burglaries during SXSW. They were able to locate more than 50 stolen items: iPhones, iPads, Kindles and other electronics from a home in North Central Austin. Police say everything had been taken from hotel rooms in Central and North Austin, as well as Round Rock and Travis County. A suspect was arrested shortly after.

"Something else to also keep in mind, when you do leave your room, make sure you go back a second time to check it. Check the door handle, make sure that it closed all the way and make sure that it's locked. You don't want to give the opportunity to a criminal to have easy access to your room," says Officer Winston.

On the other hand, Arthur Jurao is staying in an Airbnb. It's a place where he doesn't mind leaving his stuff out.

"I just sort of look at it in advance and just see what kind of places I would feel safe hanging out in," says Jurao.

Police say you should write down serial numbers to valuables or have them engraved. This will come in handy in the event they get stolen. 

You can view APDs list of safety tips here