Campus thefts prompt barrel of questions
A string of high profile thefts have made college life stressful for nearly 20 victims in residential life halls. The alleged first reported burglary occurred Feb. 10, 2008. Starting out by taking laptops and iPods, the thief or thieves have moved on to taking cell phones and a Wii entertainment system. Since that time, 10 burglaries have been reported. The first theft took place between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. The subsequent crimes have been committed between 3:30 and 7 a.m.
This archived article was written by: Mike Overson
A string of high profile thefts have made college life stressful for nearly 20 victims in residential life halls. The alleged first reported burglary occurred Feb. 10, 2008. Starting out by taking laptops and iPods, the thief or thieves have moved on to taking cell phones and a Wii entertainment system. Since that time, 10 burglaries have been reported. The first theft took place between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. The subsequent crimes have been committed between 3:30 and 7 a.m.
According to CEU Police Officer James Prettyman, no signs of forced entry have been seen, leading many to suspect master keys are involved. Out of the 10 robberies, two victims were sure that their doors to their rooms were unlocked. Two were unsure whether or not the door was locked and six were positive the doors were locked.
Prettyman thinks very brazen are the people committing these crimes. The crimes are well calculated and thought out, which is leading to many thinking there is a group working together. Serious planning must have taken place for these instances to go off without a hitch. Whether there is a group or one individual perpetrating these acts has yet to be seen.
Prettyman said the best ways acts has yet to be seen.
Prettyman said the best ways to help keep your belongings safe is to simply lock your doors. Keep valuables out of sight. Reporting suspicious activity promptly will alert police to possible problems. The police have talked with RAs in Aaron Jones Residence Hall, where the burglaries are taking place so they know to be on the lookout. A major help to the cause would be if residents looked out for each other in a kind of “neighborhood watch program”. Vigilantism is not being condoned because of the possibility of residents being harmed.
“Everything capable is being done at this time to solve this problem. You can help out by reporting anything suspicious. Be mindful about locking doors, doing these things will hopefully make campus safer until a resolution can be reached,” finished Prettyman.
