Stolen items unlikely to be found

Out of the $15 billion worth of property stolen nationwide in 2006, only about 31 percent - property worth about $4.6 billion - was recovered by police forces across the country, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"Everything is difficult to recover," said Penn Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush. "Especially if it is not traceable."

In the Penn patrol zone this year, 97 thefts from buildings were reported by the end of March, compared to 38 during the same time period last year.

Rush did not say how much property had been recovered but did say it is difficult for police to solve theft cases. She did not give statistics, but the University crime log rarely shows an arrest in a theft case.

Nationally, 17.4 percent of larceny cases ended in an arrest in 2006, according to the FBI.

Lt. Patrick Doherty of the Philadelphia Police said individuals should put a serial number or other means of identification on all property.

One of the biggest challenges, he said, is when individuals fail to keep a record of what they purchased, making it difficult for police to return unidentified belongings.

This academic year, 37 laptops and desktops were stolen on Penn's campus. Doherty said that new software alerts authorities when stolen laptops are used, which greatly increases the likelihood that property will be recovered.

Rush said laptops are the most commonly stolen item in the Penn patrol zone - and one recent arrest could help police solve other crimes.

Police apprehended an individual who consistently stole unattended laptops from various buildings around campus and brought them to a "fence operation," or operation that reintroduces stolen electronic goods into the marketplace, Rush said.

Penn Police are investigating the individual and operation in hopes of recovering other stolen property.

Police say those fence operations can be easier to solve and recover property from because they are systemic, as opposed to a theft that is a simple crime of opportunity.

However, chances that property taken during robberies and burglaries will be recovered are higher at Penn than the rest of the country.

According to Rush, the national average for clearance for robbery cases - the number of cases that end in arrest - was 25 percent in 2006.

For robberies in the Penn patrol zone, which runs from 30th to 43rd streets and from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue, about 44 percent were cleared in 2007.

Penn Police cleared 35 percent of all burglaries in 2007, as opposed to the 13 percent national average in 2006.

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