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Campus robberies spike in early November
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by Lynn Heidmann
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Madison Police Department warned University of Wisconsin students about the risk of theft Tuesday, reporting unusually high numbers of residential burglaries recently.
MPD Public Information Officer Mike Hanson said in the first 10 days of November, police received reports of 11 thefts from residential buildings. Most of these thefts were of expensive electronic equipment, he added, and occurred in campus area housing.
Hanson also said that since September, police have received reports of more than 25 stolen laptop computers in the downtown and campus area.
"What we're seeing is [suspects] realizing students have nice electronic equipment, from iPods to laptops," he said.
According to Hanson, police are "actively investigating" the issue, but in the meantime, students can protect themselves against theft by taking extra precautions. Since electronics such as iPods, DVDs, CDs and laptops are easy targets, he said it is best to keep those items out of immediate view.
Another key factor to avoid becoming a victim of theft is locking all doors and windows, he said, and reporting any suspicious activity in apartment buildings to the police.
"There are opportunities for burglars through open windows or doors, and students are not aware of this going on," Hanson said. "We're trying to get the message out that it's certainly important to understand the vulnerability and price tag involved with certain behavior."
UW sophomore Dana Jasek said she reported her laptop stolen to the MPD last weekend after her apartment hosted a party, but officers said they could not help her without "legitimate suspect information."
"My computer literally just disappeared, and we had no clues of who could have done it and no evidence," Jasek said. "There was no way I could give [the officer] any information."
The only other option officers offered, Jasek added, was to file a claim with her insurance company. But she said for those without renter's insurance, the option does not provide any monetary compensation.
Jasek cautioned other students against the possibility of theft, saying it could happen to anyone at any time.
"I was really shocked, because so many people have parties and nothing gets stolen," she said. "It made me put things into perspective. … I'm not going to take any chances ever again."
Anonymous (November 15, 2006 @ 11:27am):
Why would you have a party and leave your laptop sitting out?
If college students used some common sense the crime rate in Madison would be neglible.
Anonymous (November 15, 2006 @ 7:37pm):
This happened to me earlier this month too. We had a party over halloween (with items put away) and someone broke into our apartment a few days later and stole my laptop. Regardless of leaving items out, you still need to be careful of who you let in your house.
Anonymous (November 15, 2006 @ 10:12pm):
"Another key factor to avoid becoming a victim of theft is locking all doors and windows, he said, and reporting any suspicious activity in apartment buildings to the police."
No shit!
Anonymous (November 16, 2006 @ 12:03am):
Students may want to protect their laptops against theft by using something like LojackForLaptops, www.lojackforlaptops.com
Anonymous (November 20, 2006 @ 2:22am):
Locks don't really matter to a prepared thief. The technique is called key bumping, and will apparently open 90% of doors (probably the one you have) Beyond key bumping, lock picking is too easy on the low security locks installed almost everywhere.
I've had friends' laptops stolen when their houses were broken into. One tactic may be to steal from houses after scoping them out as a potential renter.
