Public Safety Investigates Theft

Staff Writer

 
   Public Safety officers are investigating recent thefts of property from the Memorial Classroom Building.

   According to Trey Berry, professor of history and dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, some personal items belonging to faculty members and some school property were taken from outer faculty offices and the hallways in the MCB.

   The thefts happened over the course of several weeks. While nothing taken was of great expense, Berry said the crimes, not the costs of the items, were “enough to concern” faculty and staff.

   Offices of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences occupy the second and third floors of the MCB.

   "We’re in a high traffic building,” Berry said. “We’ve told faculty to be extra careful and to lock their outer office doors – even if they’re just walking down the hall.”

   John Kidwell, director of public safety, said officers are investigating the incidents.

   "The items taken were several little things,” Kidwell said, "like someone was trying to remodel their room.”

   Kidwell said any active investigation could consist of several steps, depending on the severity of the report. Possible tactics include interviews, installation of surveillance equipment and checking the local pawnshops for items listed in the report.

   Cell phones, hard to track and recover, top the list of stolen property on campus.  

    “They are used until the phone’s turned off and then the phone gets thrown away,” Kidwell said.

   Most cell-phone thefts occur in the John F. Gibson University Center gym.

   “It’s been a repeat problem there,” Kidwell said. “People leave their phones and jackets, whatever, on the bleachers and folks can just walk by and pick them up.”

   Although concerned by the recent increase of thefts at the MCB, Kidwell said statistically, theft calls to Public Safety dropped by half this year  compared to last year, Kidwell also said the university saw a “huge decrease” in crime on campus over the past five years.

   Kidwell said several factors contributed to the decline including:

• increased patrol,
• education among public safety officers and students,
• availability of auxiliary classes and
• better campus lighting.

   “People report stuff better than they did,” Kidwell said. “And UAM has always been really good about letting us (public safety) enforce the laws. They want students protected.”

   Public safety provides a complete list of emergency procedures on the university Web site. Students, faculty and staff can retrieve information on reporting emergencies, what to do if you witness a crime in process, severe weather procedures and a wide variety of additional information.

   “The best thing to do is lock your deadbolt,” Kidwell said. “We hardly ever get a call from someone who’s had something stolen that had their deadbolt locked.”
 

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