Missing iPod, laptop and money are just a few items recently stolen from purses, rooms and wallets
Anya Cohen
News Editor
Over the past few weeks, The College of Wooster has seen an abnormally large influx of crime on campus. “It’s been an increase that none of us are comfortable with and makes us wonder what more do we need to do,” said Associate Director of Security and Protective Services Joe Kirk.
Items stolen recently include a computer, money, a Global Positioning System, an iPhone, and other items taken from purses, rooms and wallets.
“Anything that is not nailed down has been taken,” said Director of Security and Protective Services Steven Glick.
Although the national percentage of stolen items that are recovered and returned is abysmal, a college campus usually has greater likelihood of having items returned.
“Because we are a much closer, tighter community [on a college campus], sometimes people talk about items that they have stolen or use the item in public and people see it,” said Glick.
From the recent string of thefts alone, Security and Protective Services has recovered a stolen bike and rotary flags.
However, finding the lost items is only half of the battle. Students frequently fail to report stolen or missing items, which means that Security and Protective Services has little to no way of knowing who the item belongs to.
“In our evidence room downstairs I’ve got an iPad, a phone and a computer that nobody has ever come in and reported stolen or missing,” said Glick. To better assist Security and Protective Services with this problem, Glick and Kirk suggest that students register valuable items with security. At the beginning of the year, The College of Wooster offers to engrave laptops and other valuable items, a service that few students have taken advantage of.
“We’ve had more students take us up on the service this year than in the past, but it is something that we keep trying to push,” said Kirk. “The more we know about your item, the easier it will be for us to get it back to you.”
Glick and Kirk offer a few other suggestions to aid Security and Protective Services in their attempts to keep the college as crime free as possible.
“I want people to be comfortable on campus, but we also need to follow basic, common sense guidelines in order to protect ourselves and our properties,” said Glick.
Some of Glick’s and Kirk’s suggestions include keeping doors locked, not leaving items unattended in public spaces, especially Lowry Center and the libraries, and reporting any theft, regardless of how small the item.
“I would encourage the community that if they have something stolen to please report it,” said Glick. “If we see a pattern developing somewhere on campus, then we can take steps to try to mitigate that. If thefts are happening and we don’t know that they are going on, there is not much that we can do about it. We work by information, we are going to put our energy where we see things happening. So even if its just a five dollar bill, it helps us if students report it so that we can see if there is a pattern forming.”
Glick and Kirk also recommend that students trust their intuition and do not hesitate to contact security.
“We all have our comfort zones and know what looks normal,” said Glick. “If something makes the hair curl on the back of your neck, contact Security.”