While studying at the Knight Library, many students get up to go to the bathroom, stretch or grab nearby reading material while leaving behind books, backpacks and laptop computers.
It’s a common mistake, said a University Bookstore employee who specializes in theft prevention.
Leaving backpacks unattended is the optimal situation for thieves, said the bookstore employee, who requested anonymity.
Of the 291 reported thefts from buildings and vehicles last year, about 15 percent were thefts of backpacks, Department of Public Safety Lt. Herb Horner said.
“Books these days are really expensive. … If you provide the opportunity, you’re more than likely going to become a victim,” Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Pam Alejandre said.
Inevitably, she said, “it’s that one lapse of judgment” that causes students to lose property.
Backpack theft is most common at the Knight Library.
Two weeks ago, University student Gabriel Bayley had his backpack, calculator and books stolen from the Knight Library after he left his possessions unattended. Police arrested a 23-year-old man April 7 at Smith Family Bookstore for trying to sell back Bayley’s property. The case is pending investigation, and Deputy District Attorney Paul Graebner said he does “anticipate that an indictment will be returned.”
Associate University Librarian Andrew Bonamici said book and backpack theft is “definitely a problem.” Bonamici said he believes some of the thieves who target students at the library are professionals. In response to theft reports, DPS has placed more patrols in the library, Bonamici said.
Noting the size of the library, Bonamici compared leaving possessions unguarded at the Knight Library to leaving them unattended outdoors. Ten to 15 theft reports have been filed at the Knight Library since November 2001, he said.
“Part of the problem is that students are easy marks,” said Nancy Smith, manager of the Smith Family Bookstore. “Students have a casual way of life and don’t think anything is going to happen to them.”
Smith said her store gets reports every day from students who have fallen victim to theft. Theft reports are most common on Mondays, Smith said, because students often leave backpacks — complete with books — in cars during the weekend, which makes for optimal theft conditions.
Another loss-prevention agent at the University Bookstore, who also requested not to be identified, said students need to file theft reports to prevent thieves from cashing in books and to help bookstore employees recover stolen items.
“If students don’t file a report, we don’t know if it’s stolen,” the agent said.
Students should file a theft report, including details of what was stolen, with the EPD, DPS and all local bookstores, the agent added.
While filing a report at one bookstore may prevent a thief from selling back books at that particular location, not all stores communicate collectively.
Theft prevention specialists suggest students pick a page in each of their books to mark. By picking a random page and marking it with an “X” or with one’s initials, books become quickly identifiable and can be easily spotted by loss prevention employees.
Attempting to curb the resale of stolen books, the University Bookstore videotapes all book buybacks, creates a paper trail to record all transactions and requires a potential returnee to display a student identification card.
At Smith Family Bookstore, employees handle each situation differently. If an employee suspects someone of selling back stolen books, often they will lie to the returnee, Smith said. Such fibs could include saying a new edition of a book is coming out or saying a computer froze and that the returnee will have to come back.
If Smith Family Bookstore is aware that a theft has happened, employees are told to watch for the stolen books. Sometimes, Smith said, employees will pay a small amount for the books and will get reimbursed by the books’ original owner. Other times, she said, employees will stall the returnee and call police.
E-mail reporter Brad Schmidt
at [email protected].