Police: Burglaries may be inside jobs

Police are investigating employees of a major local landlord for possible involvement in a string of recent burglaries.

Burglars have struck near Penn's campus on six occasions in the last two weeks and taken about $10,000 worth of property.

Campus Apartments, a local property manager, oversees all of the targeted sites, which are mainly located on 40th and Walnut and Chestnut streets.

Because police discovered no signs of forced entry in five of the six cases, they believe that the burglars likely had keys to the apartments.

Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Mike Morrin said that detectives are in the process of compiling a list of people who could have access to such keys.

Campus Apartments employees make up the bulk of the list so far, police said.

As part of the investigation, detectives are delving into the criminal histories of Campus Apartment employees. Police have also asked Campus Apartments to change locks at certain residences, and the company has complied.

In most cases, burglars removed video-game equipment, laptop computers, digital cameras and other electronics.

Several of the burglaries netted more than $2,000 in goods each.

Police would not say whether so-called "inside job" burglaries commonly occur near campus.

Campus Apartments Property Manager Jason Cohen said that the burglars are "not necessarily" employees or people who have had access to keys for the apartments.

"A lot of residents leave doors open," he said, adding that a burglar can follow a tenant into a building.

He said that residents should use these theft-prevention devices.

In Cohen's nine-year history with the company, employee theft has never been an issue, he said.

But the property-management firm has agreed to hand over employee information and a number of Campus Apartments workers offered to give the police their fingerprints, Cohen said.

The first burglary of a Campus Apartments-managed property in the recent string occurred Nov. 23 at 4101 Spruce St.

Over Thanksgiving break, burglars hit two more properties -- 4039 Chestnut St. and 315 S. 41st St.

The fourth burglary -- which occurred Nov. 29 -- again targeted 4039 Chestnut St. but struck a different unit than the previous crime at that address.

The fifth and sixth burglaries occurred last Friday and Tuesday at 4111 Walnut St., again in different apartments.

Campus Apartments is looking into the validity of an additional burglary report at the same address.

Only one of the crime scenes -- 315 S. 41st St. -- showed signs of forced entry, though in one 4111 Walnut incident, a tenant reportedly left a door unlocked.

Cohen said that his company is working with Penn's Division of Public Safety to draft a memo informing tenants of the recent problems, adding that the units his company manages are equipped with locks, dead bolts and alarm systems.

Campus Apartments tenant and Wharton sophomore Raph Osnoss said though he has an alarm which he only uses when away for extended breaks, Campus Apartments has the code.

He said that the recent burglaries will prompt him to take extra security precautions.

"I am going to lock the door and set the alarm if no one is home and I am going to tell my roommates to do the same," Osnoss said.

While Campus Apartments manages all of the affected addresses, the company owns only the 4111 Walnut St. property. A Penn subsidiary, University City Associates, owns the other properties.

Insider theft - Police are looking to see if employees of Campus Apts. are involved with recent robberies at the landlords' sites

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