DPS: Laptop thefts a product of negligence

As College junior Annabelle Lyons wanders the stacks and study areas of Van Pelt, she observes not only stressed students unable to remove their gaze from their computer screens, but also a more worrying site - a number of laptops out of the eyesight of their owners.

"You come into the library and computers will be just sitting there," Lyons said. "That's kind of asking for trouble."

A slew of laptops have been stolen around Penn's campus since the beginning of the spring semester, and Division of Public Safety officials say it's this very negligence by students and staff to properly watch over their computers that has led to a high number of thefts.

From Jan. 7 to 18, seven laptops were reported stolen - all the result of inattentive owners.

The laptops taken in the five thefts were "left unsecured without out any kind of lock or protection," DPS spokeswoman Karima Zedan said.

The sites of the thefts ranged from the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center at 3900 Market St. to outside of Cosi on the 100 block of S. 36th Street. These sites are prime places for theft if laptop owners are not careful, DPS officials cautioned.

"The vast majority of student laptops that are stolen are taken when they're in a public place - a computer lab, a coffee shop, a library," Penn Police Cpt. Joe Fischer said.

Though all seven laptop thefts were reported within a span of 11 days, DPS officials are not concerned about a growing crime trend.

Fischer said that security officials in buildings where thefts occurred were notified to watch for a potential pattern, but the only clear trend observed thus far is an obvious one: unattended laptops are easy targets for thieves.

Three of the stolen laptops belonged to University employees, and Zedan said more laptops are stolen from University staff members than students because employees' computers are often left in unlocked, busy offices.

But for the most part, Penn community members protect their computers. Ninety-four laptops were reported stolen to the Penn Police in 69 incidents in 2006, a number that Fischer said is relatively low compared to the total number of people and computers on Penn's campus.

"For the most part, students really keep an eye on them," he said.

Fischer's observation is one shared by some Penn students.

Wharton freshman Ahsen Khan said that, from what he's seen, students are usually fairly careful.

"Sometimes I see laptops unattended, but it's not a common thing," he said.

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