Responding to increased thefts, Public Safety bolsters campaign

In response to a recent rise in unattended theft, the Division of Public Safety will initiate efforts to reinforce its ongoing anti-theft campaign Wednesday.

“This time of year, there’s a lot on people’s minds — exams, graduation,” Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. “Sometimes the last thing they’re thinking about is their property.”

According to Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey, statistics indicate a “large percentage” of crime occurring within the Penn environment is related to unattended theft.

Dorsey emphasized the importance of registering possessions online through the Campus Express system to facilitate their recovery in the event of theft.

“Anything with a serial number can be registered — instruments, bicycles, computers,” he said.

Once an item is registered, its serial number is entered into the National Crime Information Center, a nationwide computer network which tracks items by serial number.

If a registered item is stolen and later recovered, police will be notified of its status as stolen property upon checking the serial number, enabling them to contact its registered owner.

Dorsey also encouraged students to utilize the Computrace system, which tracks stolen personal computers to the location where they first accessed the internet since the theft was reported.

“The [DPS] campaign’s been a successful program for two years,” Rush said. “We’re just ensuring that people are back on track and reiterating points they should already know but may have forgotten.”

According to DPS spokeswoman Stef Cella, the enhanced campaign will involve AlliedBarton security guards heightening vigilance against theft and verbally reminding students not to leave items unattended.

In addition, DPS will provide representatives from the Undergraduate Assembly, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and the Medical Emergency Response Team with literature on unattended property theft prevention for distribution throughout the Penn community.

Officers and security personnel will also continue working closely with commercial establishments, students, staff and faculty toward reducing the incidence of theft.

DPS will also correspond with building administrators to ensure that their staff are attentive to suspicious activity.

“It’s not just about putting up posters,” Rush said, adding that officers from both Penn Police and AlliedBarton will work with student groups to raise anti-theft awareness.

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