Small, portable, accessible and expensive, laptop computers are proving tempting -- and frequent -- targets for thieves at Dartmouth.
"I think people know that stuff does occur on college campuses," said Department of Safety and Security Sargent Rebel Roberts, who is leading the effort to make students aware about laptop theft. "I don't think people know it can happen to them."
Most laptops are stolen from public areas like libraries or the Hopkins center, but they are also taken from dorm rooms left unlocked.
The biggest problem, Roberts said, was students leaving the computers unattended.
"Novack's a popular place to go study," she said. "So are Carson and Berry. When students want to save their spots, they leave laptops there."
Laptop students left unattended in bags were still sometimes stolen, Roberts noted.
Roberts said that both Dartmouth community members and outsiders have been caught with stolen laptops. She said stolen computers are recovered "on occasion."
Those arrested for the thefts face a wide range of penalties based on the circumstances of the crime. They can be persecuted either through the College, or through the Hanover Police or both.
Roberts named a number of preventive measures students could take against laptop theft besides not leaving computers unattended. At home, she recommended students keep their dorm room doors locked and pull down blinds and shades so potential thieves could not see the room's contents.
Students can also borrow the department's equipment to engrave their names on their possessions. Roberts recommended students keep their computers' serial numbers in a safe place so that officers could enter them in to a national database of stolen goods if needed.
Roberts also recommended students report any people who looked out of place or acted suspiciously.
Safety and Security employs two full-time investigators who look in to property theft and other crimes, Investigators Lauren Cummings and Richard Gavell.
