2008 Woodie Awards
Theft Is No.1 UConn Crime
Police Urge Students To Be Mindful Of Possessions
Elizabeth Connelly
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: News
When people think of campus safety, they think of being protected against classroom shootings or being able to call the police if they feel threatened in any way. However, with all of this hype about being protected from a massive tragedy, people seem to overlook a less scary but much more prominent issue around campus, and that is theft.
According to the University of Connecticut's Campus Crime Report, larceny has been No. 1 campus crime since 2004. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the crime reports for larceny have doubled the number of crime reports for liquor violations, and reports for burglary has been the third highest reported crime.
Although the rate of larceny is quite high, there are many ways to prevent your belongings from becoming victim to theft. The first way is as simple as locking your door. Even if you are taking a shower or going down the hall to your friend's room it's important to lock you door. According to the UConn Police Department's Web site, it takes as little as 10 seconds for a thief to steal your belongings. So it's important to keep your door locked when you're not in it, no matter what the circumstances are.
If you are studying somewhere besides your room by yourself and decide you want to go get a coffee or use the restroom, the best thing to do is take your belongings with you. However, when the library is crowded and tables are in high demand you may not want to lose your seat. To prevent theft in this situation the best thing to do would be to politely ask a person at the table next you yours, if they would keep an eye on your things while you leave for a minute. Most of the time the people have no problem helping you out and having someone look over your things is better than taking the risk of leaving them out in the open to be taken.
Nick Morrone, a 4th-semester political science major, had his iPod stolen from the library during finals week last semester.
"My friend and I went to go get coffees in bookworms and left our stuff at the table figuring it would be fine for a few minutes," he said. "But when we got back to our seats my iPod was gone and I had to buy another one over Christmas break."
According to the University of Connecticut's Campus Crime Report, larceny has been No. 1 campus crime since 2004. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the crime reports for larceny have doubled the number of crime reports for liquor violations, and reports for burglary has been the third highest reported crime.
Although the rate of larceny is quite high, there are many ways to prevent your belongings from becoming victim to theft. The first way is as simple as locking your door. Even if you are taking a shower or going down the hall to your friend's room it's important to lock you door. According to the UConn Police Department's Web site, it takes as little as 10 seconds for a thief to steal your belongings. So it's important to keep your door locked when you're not in it, no matter what the circumstances are.
If you are studying somewhere besides your room by yourself and decide you want to go get a coffee or use the restroom, the best thing to do is take your belongings with you. However, when the library is crowded and tables are in high demand you may not want to lose your seat. To prevent theft in this situation the best thing to do would be to politely ask a person at the table next you yours, if they would keep an eye on your things while you leave for a minute. Most of the time the people have no problem helping you out and having someone look over your things is better than taking the risk of leaving them out in the open to be taken.
Nick Morrone, a 4th-semester political science major, had his iPod stolen from the library during finals week last semester.
"My friend and I went to go get coffees in bookworms and left our stuff at the table figuring it would be fine for a few minutes," he said. "But when we got back to our seats my iPod was gone and I had to buy another one over Christmas break."
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ken westin
posted 4/06/08 @ 4:51 AM EST
Might want to take a look at GadgetTrak ( www.gadgettrak.com) it is software that enabled devices to send informaiton back to the owner when it is stolen. (Continued…)
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