I don't know if this topic has already been broached because I am two threads back and moving like a (determined) turtle, but this comes to mind:
I in NO WAY mean to blame the victims here because they are blameless, but if I had kids going off to college in the fall and preparing to live off-campus, I'd talk about the Idaho murders. I'd ask them to get (or help them to find) well-fitting window coverings and to adopt the habit of closing the window coverings at dusk, even covering sliding glass doors with a curtain on rings like a shower curtain. I'd finance the project if the landlord/lady would agree. Seems like the damage would just amount to a few nail holes that could be filled in and painted over.
I'd ask my kids to use the locks on their doors that lead to the outdoors, at the very least at night, and even better, during the day, too. I know their friends come in and out, but the friends could adapt. My kids might or might not listen.....might or might not act. They could blow it all off and think it was just more of Mom being Mom, but the Idaho story is very compelling.
When I walk in my neighborhood at dusk, people are beginning to close the blinds, and, I presume, lock up. I know not everyone does this, and that's fine, but we keep our house locked 24/7, whether home or away. There is really no reason why young people, perhaps out on their own for the first time, couldn't begin to practice home safety habits that they probably will be adopting later on in life, maybe when they have their own kids to protect.