Most people don’t think going to the bathroom or checking out a library book is a big deal. However, if they lost a backpack or purse in the process, they might think otherwise.
There have been a significant number of personal property thefts reported on campus lately. Last week, the Department of Public Safety received a half-dozen reports of stolen property from the library, which doesn’t include bicycle thefts.
DPS Associate Director Thomas Hicks estimates that each year, the department receives about 150 to 300 reports of larceny, crimes involving property with a value of less than $500. Library personnel said they direct any complaints or reports of thefts to the Department of Public Safety.
Personal property theft is the top crime on campus, Hicks said.
Some students think that the University area provides a sense of security and don’t take the possibility of theft seriously.
“When I’m off campus, I keep a close eye on my bag,” University senior Joe Becker said while sitting in the library. “When I’m on campus, I usually don’t worry.”
Jen Laplant, a senior psychology major, stood making copies, looking through a window at the table where she’d left her property. She said she never thinks about losing it.
“It’s my stuff,” she said. “I don’t even think anyone would want it — it’s kind of crappy.”
Hicks said that the most significant action resulting in theft is students leaving their property unattended.
“I can’t stress enough how often that’s the case,” he said. “I wouldn’t even recommend asking someone to watch your property, unless you knew you could trust them. It’s just not a good idea.”
Sometimes the cost of replacing a bag or books may only be part of the problem, in comparison to what’s in the bag.
“All the time I take my bag with me,” education graduate student Tom Lindberg said. “It’s not the monetary value — it’s the ideas.”
DPS statistics only represent the thefts that people actually report, which are only a fraction of the total thefts on campus.
It’s important for students to report thefts to the department, no matter how minuscule the theft may seem, Hicks said.
The department regularly receives property left in buildings or other areas of campus. If a theft victim has reported the theft, the odds that he or she will get the property back are substantially improved, Hicks said.
“If we go through some recovered property and are unable to find any identification, then we turn to the reports,” Hicks said.