University prevents unattended theft

On Jan. 12, three unattended wallets were stolen in Huntsman Hall from students. The victims were unaware that their possessions were missing until campus officers returned them after apprehending the criminal.

Division of Public Safety Spokeswoman Stef Cella explained that the Unattended Property Theft Campaign, now in its third year under the name, is “an attempt to remind each other that if you leave your laptop out, it may not be there when you get back.”

The Unattended Property Theft Campaign is led by a varied team of public safety officials, but students are most likely to encounter the roaming security officers — such as those who recovered the vanished wallets — who keep a vigilant lookout for both unattended items and perpetrators.

If a student is absent minded enough to leave their BlackBerry unattended on a table in Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, they may encounter an officer awaiting their return to inform them of the dangers of leaving items unattended. This is really an “awareness campaign,” Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

When asked why they chose this method as opposed to a fine or penalty, Cella explained that DPS prefers “the carrot to the stick” and hopes to educate students about safety as quickly as possible.

The campaign has so far generated a positive response. Students who have been recipients of a reminder from an officer, although “embarrassed at first, are thankful,” Cella said.

Nursing freshman Max Hess agreed. “If you get called out on something in public, it causes you to take it to heart,” Hess said.

College freshman Esther Kim, however, believes too much effort is being wasted in the campaign. “While this is an admirable attempt at curbing laptop theft, it seems like too much of a labored process to be completely effective,” she said.

According to Police Chief Mark Dorsey, “unfortunately theft numbers went up in 2010, and of the 340 property thefts, 84 percent were cases of unattended theft.”

Social centers, libraries and other public hangouts are the most common venues for unattended theft, with laptops, iPods, cell phones and bicycles being the most common targets.

Dorsey explained that on Penn’s campus the “criminals are not only opportunists but also very organized” and that many are repeat offenders who have targeted certain sites from which they steal until caught by DPS.

Despite their optimism in the outcome of the campaign, DPS urges students to register their property on Campus Express so that it can be tracked if stolen.

DPS hopes that students, faculty and staff who have had their articles stolen, as well as those who have been scolded by an officer, will learn a lesson that they can spread to the rest of the community.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.