Computers stolen from Village apartments lab, no arrests made

Four computers were stolen from the Boise State University Village apartments" computer lab on June 20, prompting significant changes in security equipment and employee education. Officials say at approximately 3:00 a.m., a man entered the computer lab with a key, identified himself as an employee to a female present in the lab, and told her that the 24-hour lab was closed. The BSU Police Department believes that four all-in-one computers, to which the computer unit and the monitor are attached, were stolen by the man following the departure of the female witness. The BSU Police Department is following up on a number of leads in the theft, but say they are at a loss in the case due to a lack of proper surveillance and the inability to trace the key that was used by the alleged intruder or intruders. The lab, which is locked at all times, can be entered through the use of a traditional key or a student ID key card. Video surveillance of the computer lab was in use at the time of the theft, but images gathered were deemed unusable, police say. 'We don"t have a good picture of the suspect, which is unfortunate,' said Craig Thompson, director of Student Housing. Officials say the inadequate surveillance, in combination with a lack of personal responsibility for the equipment by lab employees, is making it difficult for the BSU Police Department to get the whole story of the theft. 'Originally eight computers were reported stolen, then only two, and now the number is four,' Sergeant Stan Nichols said. 'Nobody is personally responsible for the equipment and their serial numbers. The Department of Housing is, but who at Housing?' According to Officer Damon Baughman, the BSU Police ��Department has a list of 12 possible suspects and is narrowing down the list with the help of the witness" physical description. 'We don"t know whether the theft is internal or external,' said Thompson. It is also unknown whether or not the suspect is a resident of one of the three apartments that have access to the computer lab. Residents at the University Village, University Park, and Heights Manor apartments have keys to the lab. 'It could have been as simple as someone leaving the door to the laundry room open because of the heat,' Baughman said. In the past, overhead projector equipment and minor peripheral equipment, such as keyboards and mice, were stolen from the campus labs, officials say. However, a computer was reported stolen from the same lab one week earlier. No witnesses to this theft have come forward, but the BSU Police Department says that the same suspect was involved. Police say their goal, beyond locating the suspect, is to hold someone accountable for the equipment in the labs through education. 'When an employee sees something missing now, they wonder why and move on,' said Nichols. 'If their job was dependent on that equipment being there, then only a day would go by instead of a week.' Nichols and the BSU Police Department say they plan on providing instruction to campus employees through the security department. The Department of Housing says it is doing its part to prevent computer theft and to aid the information gathering process if the theft occurs again. 'We"re upgrading cameras to the campus standard in which actions are recorded in the BSU security office,' said Thompson. 'We"re also eliminating key access, which is harder to track, to everyone but Housing staff.' However, Baughman recommends a more severe change. 'If it were up to me, I would take away every key and the campus police could monitor the use of the computer lab through the key cards,' said Baughman.��

Sara Bahnson

Related Posts:

1. CAMPUS CRIME
2. CAMPUS CRIME
3. Campus Crime
4. Campus Crime
5. Campus Crime