Total crime this October only rose from 84 to 85 incidences compared to October 2012, while automobile theft went up from one to nine incidences and theft from buildings went down from 39 to 34 incidences.
Retail theft also dropped from 13 to six incidences compared to last October. There was only one aggravated assault compared to three last October and three simple assaults to last October’s one. Some statistics — such as the two robberies both this October and last October — remained the same.
“The overall themes are pretty regular,” Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. She added that while the theft from buildings mostly affected Penn affiliates, the trend is normal.
Related: September crime rates stable since 2012
Total crimes against property stayed exactly equal from October 2012 to October 2013 at 75 incidences, but the total number of crimes against property so far in 2013 is 607, a 6.5 percent increase from the 570 incidences that occurred by this point in 2012.
In reference to the trends in automobile theft, Rush said, “GPS devices are still hot across the country. Even if only the holder is in the window, they know the GPS is in the car.”
If a Penn Police officer sees a car with valuables left in the window, he or she will place a flyer on the car windshield that explains the dangers of leaving valuable items exposed. It warns the car owner that most thefts from vehicles occur because property is left in plain view of passersby.
Rush also said that the campus should expect to see increases in property theft before the semester ends.
“In the holiday season across the country, there’s an uptick in crime for perpetrators, so they can find the money to do what we all want to do — buy presents,” she explained.
Related: Crime Log: Oct. 4 to Oct. 10
Every store and restaurant in the Penn Patrol Zone has a patrol log that keeps track of when officers stop by to take a look at activity in the building. Penn Police increase their building checks during the holidays to further discourage suspicious behavior.
Rush also explained that there were more issues to technology theft than just the loss of the item itself. “If your computer is lost, it’s going to cost a lot to get another one, but the greater loss will be in replacing your work,” she said. She encourages having backup storage to prevent that from happening.
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