Police look into dorm burglaries

University Police detectives began an investigation yesterday after a string of burglaries plagued High Rise South over winter break, University Police said last night. "Two detectives are assigned to High Rise South to see what's going on there," said University Police Detective Supervisor Mike Carroll. "We're looking at anybody who had a possibility of being in there. That includes students, contractors, employees and guests." But one Residential Living employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said he believes the seven burglaries over vacation may have been part of an inside job. The employee said he believes that sub-contractors working in the building may have burglarized rooms on the third, fifth, sixth, ninth, tenth, twelfth and sixteenth floors over break. Carroll refused to rule anything out but declined to comment on the course of the investigation. Gigi Simeone, director of Residential Living, said she did not want to point fingers until the police investigation was complete, but acknowledged that workers are always in the buildings. "I would want to wait for the investigation by the University Police to be completed before I comment on that," Simeon said. "I don't think there is anyone that's an expert on [the burglaries] besides the University Police." Simeone said that Residential Living is willing to listen to what the police have to say. "We'll be working with the police," she said. "If they have any suggestions, we'll be happy to work with them to implement them." She added that there have been few problems with workers in the buildings. The Residential Living employee explained how simple it is for workers to gain access to High Rise rooms. "Workmen are allowed to come and sign out keys to individual doors and to the exits at the front desk of the High Rises," he said. He added that to commit a burglary, workers inside the building would have to obtain a key to the room or pry the door open. Then, a valid excuse -- such as a need to remove trash -- would allow them to exit through the side doors. Alarms normally sound when these doors are opened, he said. "Anybody who looks like a worker can go to work and come out with anything they want [when students are sitting at the front desk]," the employee said. All the rooms that were burglarized have two traits in common: they are all by a stairwell in the building and they all have pry marks on the doors. College junior Jeff Ivler estimated over $10,000 worth of property that belonged to him and his roommates was taken. "It looks like the same person or people did all of them [the burglaries]," Ivler said. He added that the University will not allow students to put extra locks on their doors. Carolyn Delacruz arrived back from vacation on January 4 only to find her room picked over by burglars. Her printer, stereo and CDs were missing. But what the Nursing sophomore said she found shocking was how the burglars had such discriminating tastes in deciding what to take. She said her entire CD collection of alternative music had been taken, while her roommate's CD collection was left intact. "I feel violated," she said. "I'll definitely be locking up my stuff in March [during spring break]." A College senior, who wished to remain anonymous, said she agreed with Delacruz about the burglars' discriminating tastes. "My roommate left a tape in her tape player," she said. "When she returned, her tape player was missing, but the tape was left on her desk." The senior said that while her Macintosh computer and music collection disappeared in the burglary, money and jewelry were left behind. The Residential Living employee said he can sympathize with the victims' anger because students live on campus for the extra safety. "[Students] stay here for the extra security, and they're not getting it," he said. "Residential Living is too cheap to staff the desks with full-paid staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week," the worker added. Residential Living has students staffing the front desks on weekends and over holidays, he said.

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