Cellular phone thefts on rise

For the third time in the last two days, a cellular phone was reported stolen from a vehicle parked in a campus lot yesterday. This is the ninth such incident this month. There were no reports of cellular phones being stolen over the same time period last January, according to University Police. In yesterday's incident, a 1993 Chevrolet parked in a lot located at 36th and Walnut streets had its right front window smashed, and a cellular phone and laptop computer of undisclosed value were taken. The owner of the car was not affiliated with the University, according to University Police Captain John Richardson. He explained that cellular phones are particularly appealing to criminals because of the ease with which they can be stolen. "Most people leave their phones in full view," Richardson explained. "All the thieves have to do is look into the car, see the phone there, and it's gone." He added that thieves often pick which cars to break into by walking close to the curb and checking if anything of value is exposed. Director of Victim Support and Special Services Maureen Rush said cellular phone thefts are often crimes of opportunity. "Students have to be aware that by leaving valuables in plain view, they're inviting someone to break their windows and steal something," she said. Rush added that she recommends keeping a car looking like "it just came from the dealer -- with nothing of any value exposed." Richardson said cellular phones are also appealing targets because they can be used until the victim shuts off the cellular service, or sold for fairly large amounts of money. "If it's a cheap phone, the thief probably won't get all that much," he said. "But if its a fancy model, they stand to get a lot." And even if the phones are recovered, very few of them have serial numbers, making it hard to prove ownership, Richardson said. Police suspect that thieves are specifically looking for cellular phones, implying that there is an organized black market for them near campus, Richardson said. Richardson said the increased number of cellular phone thefts was brought up at roll call yesterday. "I told the officers to keep their eyes open and remind people to remove the phones from view," he said. "The officers have to make people more aware." According to Rush, many of the thefts could have been prevented. "Certainly, increasing the police presence will help deter these thefts, but this has to be a team effort," she said. "People have to understand that by leaving things exposed, the opportunity is there for a theft." University Police stressed that despite the increase in cellular phone thefts, overall theft on campus is actually down almost 50 percent since December.