Issue date: 10/29/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Sarah Kinosian A laptop sits at Van Pelt LIbrary. Unattended belongings are increasingly becoming a prime target for theft. [Click to enlarge]

Van Pelt Library: A resource for studying, researching -and theft?

The Division of Public Safety revealed last week that it is currently conducting an investigation into a rising tide of unattended theft, with a focus on crimes occurring in Van Pelt, the main library on campus.

Ten cases of theft in Van Pelt have been reported to Penn Police since mid-September, and Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said 43 percent of total thefts overall since July have occurred after people had left their possessions unguarded.

"Unattended theft has gone skyrocketing," she said. "It has stood this year as being more problematic than normal."

DPS officials have continually said theft is often up during the fall semester because newer students unaccustomed to living in a city aren't as careful with their belongings.

Bryan Wilkinson, director of financial and administrative services at Van Pelt, said students mistakenly assume that they are immune to such problems in Van Pelt.

And though the figures have been high enough to concern DPS, the actual number of incidents likely surpasses any official police statistics.

Rosengarten Reserve employee and School of Arts and Sciences graduate student Hwayoung Cho estimated that in the past month and a half, about 20 different students have come to the desk during her shifts alone to report stolen items, including backpacks, wallets, credit cards, laptops and cell phones. Most of the students don't report the lost belongings to police, she said.

"I don't think I'd see a point in reporting a stolen object to Penn Police," College junior Erik Arnetz said. "Assuming that there's no camera surveillance, I don't really see what they would be able to do about it."

Wilkinson said officials have explored installing cameras in the stacks in the past but decided against it when the Undergraduate Assembly voiced concerns over a potential invasion of privacy.

Continued...

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