Despite recent attention from the Division of Public Safety on unattended theft, the number of theft-related crimes has skyrocketed so far this year.
DPS officials said there were 30 reports of thefts during the month of March, bringing the total to 97 for 2008 so far.
These numbers represent significant increases from last year. March 2007 had 14 thefts and there were only 38 thefts from January to March of 2007.
"It's outrageous," Maureen Rush, vice president for public safety, said, adding that the high numbers are unprecedented.
Rush said 75 to 80 percent of the thefts reported this year were of unattended property.
Total crime in the Penn patrol zone increased 6 percent in March compared to the same month last year, and 39 percent for the year to date.
DPS officials said the increase in thefts is unexpected because of the recent unattended theft awareness campaign started on Jan. 30 of this year.
The campaign, which includes posters, tent cards and signs around campus and local shops and restaurants, was implemented in order to increase awareness about theft and the danger of leaving belongs unattended, even for a short time.
Van Pelt Library has had the highest number of thefts this academic year, with 17 since August. Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, another popular study spot, had the third-highest total, with 10, behind the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with 11.
There have been 37 desktop computers and laptops stolen from buildings and residences this academic year.
Violent crime, however, has gone down, with zero homicides, robberies at gun point and forcible sex offenses in March.
Rush said the perception of a safe environment may be one of the reasons students and faculty are less cautious about leaving their belongings unattended.
With the end of the year just around the corner, Rush said she is worried that the theft, especially of laptops, could become an even bigger issue.
"It isn't just about the money," she said. "It's about the inconvenience of losing work product."
A summary of crime statistics for March 2008 compared to March 2007:
n There were zero homicides both this year and last, and robberies at gunpoint dropped from three in March 2007 to none this past month.
n Other robberies dropped to one this March compared to five in the same month last year.
n Aggravated assaults increased to one from zero, with an assault on a police officer early in the month.
n Simple assaults also saw an increase from three to five. Four out of the five attacks were on police officers.
n Burglaries increased from six last March to 12 this year. Bike thefts, however, dropped from seven to six, as did thefts from automobiles, which are down to two this March from nine last year.
