Four more burglaries this April caused a spike in crimes against property compared to April of last year, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. She stressed that students should continue taking care in locking their doors, especially the rear entries.
To combat burglary, Police Chief Mark Dorsey stressed that students should continue these efforts this summer by making their homes appear inhabited with self-timer lights.
An increase in robberies caused the 6-percent rise in crimes against person this month, said Rush. With regards to throwing parties, Rush and Dorsey hoped that students would “have caution in allowing people into your house that you do not know.”
“I feel that given all the events the school hosted in April — like Fling and Penn Relays, for instance — it comes as no surprise that crime is up,” Engineering freshman Thomas Muse said.
Although no pattern was exposed, a small increase in retail theft at stores around campus led to a number of successful arrests.
With the use of the PennComm security cameras, DPS successfully arrested a man for auto theft who had an extensive criminal background and who “plagued our community,” Dorsey said.
DPS also continued a “major operation” against unattended theft in Van Pelt Library this April. If not for that effort, there might have been more laptop thefts, Dorsey speculated.
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