Interior locks yet to be replaced

After a series of thefts from the IU School of Music, the school's exterior locks have been changed, but not all of the school's locks have been replaced. More than 300 at-risk interior locks are still on the agenda, according to the IU Physical Plant.\nThe locks were changed after four master keys were missing and several items were stolen, including a $20,000 violin, a $5,000 violin bow, nearly $2,000 of recording equipment, cash from the desk of the School of Music's dean and a professor's $500 digital camera.\nRoyce Deckard, director of Budget and Finance at the Physical Plant Office, said after all the locks' cores were replaced, the actual changing of the exterior locks only took about two days. The interior locks have yet to be changed because they have patented keyways. But Deckard reported the school is currently working with the Physical Plant on the issue.\n"The interior doors will take a while," he said. "We'll run a floor at a time."\nDeckard said there were no problems changing the exterior locks, and since the change, "nothing of significance has disappeared."\n"I was glad they did it," said Bret Hoag, associate instructor of guitar at the School of Music. "I think it's good that they did it, for the safety of the instruments ... since they're worth a lot of money, as well as (for the safety of) the people."\nDeckard said the interior doors will take awhile and the final cost for all of the key changes is still not known.\nDeckard said in a previous IDS article the estimated cost to replace the locks was expected to be around $30,000 to $40,000.\nAccording to the Physical Plant, more than 400 locks needed to be replaced. Of those 400 locks, about 40 were exterior.\nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said no one has been arrested following investigations of the thefts.\n"(The case is still) being investigated," he said. "There are several leads that are (being) checking out."\nMinger said several leads were initiated after the composite of the suspect was released, but most of those leads were dead ends. He said places where the stolen articles may turn up are still being monitored, like Internet sales sights, pawn shops and classified ads.\n"It's still active, but it's going very slow," he said.\nAnyone with information about the thefts should contact the IUPD at 855-4111.\n-- Contact staff writer Brittany Hite at bhite@indiana.edu.