by Christine Owen
Editorial Director
Campus Safety is urging the ULV community to keep a close eye on personal possessions and equipment after a recent surge in thefts on campus since the beginning of the fall semester.
John Lentz, director of campus safety and transportation, said that since Sept. 1, the number of thefts has increased to an average of two thefts a week. This is up from an average of two thefts a month during the past three years.
Items stolen recently include computers, VCRs, DVD players, portable hand-held radios, a power amplifier, purse, briefcase, microwave oven and $200 worth of ice cream.
Lentz said that the majority of crimes on campus have been “crimes of opportunity,” however in some instances, lock-down cables were cut on computers, VCRs and DVD players, making them “intentional” crimes.
Lentz recently issued a memo to the ULV community about the rash of thefts, which provided reminders about what to do to avoid becoming a victim of theft. These recommendations include locking offices when they are unoccupied and not lending out keys to ULV buildings or rooms. He also urges students and faculty to report suspicious persons to the Campus Safety Department.
“There’s a sense on this campus, an opinion held by some, that this is an open campus,” Lentz said. “Well I disagree with that. This is not a public institution, this is private property.”
To safeguard against crimes of opportunity, members of the ULV community need to keep their personal possessions with them at all times. Purses, briefcases, backpacks and laptop computers should never be left unattended, even for a moment.
Lentz did not speculate on who is responsible for the thefts but said, “I don’t want to believe that it is somebody from our community, but enough of it is happening to where that could be the case.”
Of the thefts, six have been grand theft, which is a felony.
“There’s a feeling at the University that we are kind of immune to crime. In reality, we have to change our perception,” Lentz said.
Jim May, head athletic trainer, said that five two-way radios were stolen from the training room early in October.
The door to the training room was locked and there was no sign of forced entry, May said, adding that “It’s probably more of an inside job than we realized.”
May called the theft an “unfortunate incident” and said greater attention is being paid to locking doors and making sure that radios and other items of potential interest to thieves are locked away.
Doug Waite, director of multimedia services, said that VCRs and DVD players have been stolen out of classrooms in recent weeks.
Waite said that several of the VCRs that were stolen had been “permanently mounted in classrooms” and that the cables had been cut to remove the property. He said that Maintenance is now in the process of installing cable locks on those audio-visual aids that are mounted in classrooms.
“You can never stop thefts entirely,” Waite said. “If they really want something, they will take it.”
