The Collegian

Issue date: 9/6/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Annie Douglass

Students new to Saint Mary's College may be surprised to find that despite the intimacy that comes with the school's small size, they are still at risk of falling victim to thievery.

Last year, 42 cases of theft were reported to the Department of Public Safety.

These were comprised of 17 petty thefts, 16 grand thefts and nine unclassified thefts. These numbers include incidents during the summer months, as well as the theft of college property off campus.

Chief of Public Safety Bill Foley thinks that some items are more commonly desired than others. "It varies; the items that are easily taken is jewelry that's left out, money that's left out, cell phones, iPods and similar devices," said Foley.

Jim Sciuto, associate director for community life, agrees that concealable items are more attractive targets. "Laptops, iPods, those would be the two that come to mind the most," Sciuto said.

However, people have also been known to steal larger items, such as sofas and tables, and even vehicles including golf carts and automobiles. One such incident occurred recently.

"We were moving into Sabatte, and someone stole our blue chair the day before we moved in," said Mark Gilson '07, senior class president. According to Gilson, work was being done on his room on Thursday, August 24, and the sofa was gone by the next day. The doors had been left unlocked during this time, exposing the room to thieves.

There are no signs that the theft problem has improved over the years. "In '94, we had a total of eight stolen vehicles. Of the eight, two were golf carts that were recovered. We had six other cars stolen; five of those were recovered. Last year, in 2005, we had six vehicle thefts," Foley said.

But not every theft reported is discovered to have merit. According to Foley, "We recover most cars on the campus, which in most cases we discover is not a car theft."

Still, the number of complaints has not diminished. "From the numbers I've seen, it's been pretty similar from year to year," Sciuto said.

Despite this fact, Foley does not believe that Saint Mary's is any worse off than any other college. "Crime in general is less than you would find at a comparable college in an urban area," Foley said.

"More than anything, where we're located geographically helps us with theft," Sciuto said. Gilson added that he does not feel cases like his are out of the ordinary. "Saint Mary's doesn't have any more [or] any less of a theft problem than any other college or university," he said.

Even so, Foley has some tips for students on how to avoid losing their possessions. "I'm a firm believer-in valuables-if you have something important to you, to keep record of the serial number and model. That information is accessible to law enforcement 24/7. Without a serial number or other points of identification, a lot of property sits there in the police property room," Foley said.

Foley also points out the importance of informing Public Safety about thefts. "Reporting it as soon as possible helps us," Foley said. "Seldom [are the suspects caught], because usually, the crime is reported late to us." Sciuto believes that people too often make the mistake of carelessness. "People [should lock] their doors; no leaving them propped," Sciuto said.

Upon encountering incidents of theft, students are advised to call Public Safety or the police.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools