Campus thieves take advantage of winter break

Campus thefts during breaks are almost inevitable.

Every year when students return home for break, thieves take advantage of the relatively empty campus to break into buildings, offices and dormitories. IU saw six cases of theft during winter break.

Out of those six reports, police records show that only one resulted in an arrest.

According to the reports, the thefts have occurred in several different academic buildings, including Sycamore Hall, the School of Public Health, Swain Hall and the Indiana Memorial Union.

“The theft in Sycamore Hall involved an administrative staff’s checkbook being stolen and checks being written, so it is fraud as well,” IUPD Lieutenant Craig Munroe said.

Munroe said some thefts happened when people just turned their backs or left the room.

“The Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center thefts involved possessions that were left on the basketball court,” he said.

When the thieves are caught, Munroe said they could face several different possibilities of punishments.

“They could get anywhere from jail time to community service,” he said.

To cut down on lifted items, students and staff are asked to take precautions prior to making departures for break.

“IU is a big place and when the full time officers and supervisors are here, there are only six of us,” IUPD Captain Thomas Lee said. “We can’t be everywhere at the same time.”

The thefts usually occur because students have left a valuable item either in their dorm or at the library, Lee said.

He said IUPD is able to find if the offender was a staff member if the theft occurred in a dorm room, because they can tell who had the keys to the rooms at the time of a theft.

IUPD patrols the entire campus during break, as well as covering fraternities and sororities if the houses ask them to, he said.

“It ultimately comes down to students and staff taking precautions to protect their possessions while they are away,” Lee said.

With so many thefts occurring in a short period of time, Lee said it is the owner of the stolen item that really gets punished.

“Oftentimes it takes so long to locate and recover an item, the victim ultimately pays the price in the end,” Lee said.

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