Department of Public Safety reports showed spring break to be a quiet holiday from most campus crimes. But in a college community known for its consistent problems with bike theft, it was no surprise to DPS officers that reports of suspicious subjects “casing” campus bike racks — checking locks with the intention of later stealing the bikes — were received at different points during the last week of March.
Although DPS and the Eugene Police Department reports show a winter term rise followed by, most recently, a decline in bike thefts around campus, two recent arrests and an increase in community involvement make officers anticipate a further downward trend.
“Regardless, bike theft remains our biggest problem on campus,” DPS Sgt. Jeff Breno said.
According to EPD reports, 38 bike thefts were reported in the campus area in January and February, compared with 22 reports filed during the same months a year ago. EPD spokeswoman Kerry Delf said there is no way to tell if that trend will continue, but that bike theft has been more prominent in the University area this year so far.
“We’ve had a lot fewer reports over the last few weeks,” Breno said. “Which could have something to do with recent arrests.”
During spring break, DPS received a report of two suspicious subjects walking around bike racks along Columbia Street near East Campus Housing. When officers contacted the individuals at 1 p.m. on March 26, they found controlled substances on 19-year-old Marcell Devon Rockwell and two outstanding warrants for 18-year-old Travis Gene Sellers.
Shortly before 2 p.m., EPD officers arrested them. Rockwell was charged for unlawful possession of controlled substances, and Sellers was arrested on the outstanding warrants. Although Sellers and Rockwell were apprehended for violations unrelated to bike theft, Breno said similar arrests in the past have lead to information eventually linking suspects to
the crime.
On March 27, a University employee contacted DPS to report two suspicious subjects casing the bike racks along Walton Complex. When they were contacted by DPS officers, both individuals were positively identified as employees of a contractor on campus and the report was cleared as unfounded, Associate Director Tom Hicks said.
Another suspicious subject was reported to be casing the bike racks at Bean Complex the morning of March 29. Once contacted by DPS officers, the individual had no explanation for being at the racks — or on campus — and officers informed him that he would be cited for trespassing if he was reported to be casing again.
Although the two most recent reports did not result in EPD arrests or DPS-issued citations, Hicks said the role played by those who report suspicious subjects and activity on campus is important.
“Public safety can only be as effective as the diligence of the campus community,” Hicks said. “We depend upon people to report and be alert to individuals and activities out of the ordinary and we encourage community members not to hesitate in reporting anything of concern.”