DPS identifies pattern of burglaries

Despite Wednesday night’s robbery at TD Bank and Monday morning’s robbery at AT&T;, University City’s commercial sector is not the only recent target for crime.

In the past two weeks, there have been four burglaries in the residential area around 40th and 41st streets from Pine to Sansom Streets, Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey said. The Division of Public Safety has identified these four cases as a pattern of activity.

Engineering junior Tim Donnally, who lives in the area and had heard of the string of burglaries, said they have made him only slightly fearful for the safety of his house. He and his housemates keep all of their doors locked and do all they can to ensure the safety of their residence.

In all four instances, there has been no forced entry, Dorsey said. Rather, individuals have been “going around trying back doors” and stealing televisions, laptops, videogames, cash and jewelry, he said. DPS is urging students to keep their doors locked.

DPS believes no one was inside during the majority of burglaries, as the offender or offenders have struck during class hours, Dorsey said. These are “crimes of opportunity,” that can be stopped if people lock their doors, he added.

Although none of the perpetrators have been spotted in the act, Dorsey claimed that DPS is pursuing a number of leads in this case. While DPS is still reviewing footage from the PennComm cameras, there has been no indication that anyone captured on camera was responsible for the burglaries.

Dorsey stressed although these cases are of “top priority” for DPS at the moment, safety on campus remains a “shared responsibility.” It is important that students deter criminals by keeping valuables out of sight and making the apartment look occupied at all times, DPS spokeswoman Stef Cella said.

She added that as safety is a community effort, if anyone notices suspicious behavior they should alert the police immediately and not touch the area to facilitate inspections for fingerprints and other evidence.

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