Dorms frosted by fridge thefts

Bike thefts are all too common at the University, and the frequency of locker break-ins and backpack snatchings have led many to believe that just about anything can be stolen on Penn's campus. But refrigerators? A rash of refrigerator thefts last month at two University residences have led to skepticism of safety and security in University dormitories-- along with questions as to exactly how and why thieves pilfered the large, bulky kitchen appliances. According to University Police, 37 refrigerators were taken from Graduate Tower B on June 15 and another five from High Rise East the following day. Both dormitories are undergoing renovations this summer and many workers enter and exit the building on a regular basis. "They're doing work over there and somebody just acted like they were working," University Police Det. Commander Tom King said. "One by one they just carted them out." King added that the thieves were almost arrested near High Rise East, but got away. "There was a report that someone was doing this, but by the time we got there they were gone," he said. Though the front lobbies of the residences are staffed by Spectaguard officers and equipped with video cameras, King said that the culprits were not caught on tape. According to Associate Director of Housing Services Al Zuino, both buildings where the thefts occurred are being renovated above and beyond just "routine maintenance work." Parts of the second and third floors of Grad Tower B are being converted to office space, while new faculty and staff apartments are being built in HRE to accommodate increased staffing under the University's college house system. Zuino added that as many as ten workers might be working in each of the buildings at any one time. All University employees and contractors working under the Trammell Crow Co. are issued identification cards to grant them access to University buildings. In order to bypass the front desks in each of the buildings, the thieves would have had to show identification or be let in by someone with authorized access. But since the thefts, stronger security measures have been implemented. Director of Security Services Stratis Skoufalos said that "[the departments of] Public Safety and Residential Living have agreed to utilize SpectaGuard officers as ID checkers in all residential buildings going forward," rather than the students who sometimes marshal the buildings. The policy took effect on June 18 -- two days after the second set of thefts. But Skoufalos denied any correlation between the crime and the new policy, noting that "it was a decision we were planning" for some time. He added that "all users of and visitors to the buildings, including contractors and vendors," would have to comply with the new regulations. Zuino would not speculate as to why or how the thefts were committed, but did say, "Obviously, it's a concern if something disappears from the building." King also added that he did not know why someone would steal the several dozen decades-old appliances, though one Penn Police officer speculated that the thieves may have wanted to harvest the freon gas used as a cooling agent in the older machines.

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