After the report of a second sizable theft in Smith yesterday, Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone speculated that a professional burglar may be targeting dorm rooms at the College.
"If it is outside talent -- meaning people who are not from this area and make it their business to target colleges -- this has me somewhat concerned. If they see that the pickings are easy, they will be back," Giaccone told The Dartmouth.
In the most recent burglary, law enforcement sources reported that a thief took a "very expensive" watch and several hundred dollars in loose cash. The incident occurred early last Friday afternoon, around the same time a thief stole three computers, a variety of consumer electronics and $250 in cash from a locked dorm room in Russell Sage.
Giaccone said the similarity of both burglaries as well as their nearly identical timing suggests they might be related. Police said they were unsure whether the room in Smith was locked before the most recently reported incident.
Waves of theft are not unheard of at the College, Giaccone said.
"It happens on and off about every other term or so," he said.
Giaccone expressed doubt that the perpetrators in either incident last Friday would be caught.
"We have not had very much luck catching people in these kinds of cases," Giaccone said. "Seventy percent probably never get solved."
Giaccone recommended students lock their dorm rooms when they leave, but also encouraged undergraduates to be aware of activity in their residence halls. Residents should watch for people acting suspiciously and for those "who appear to be out of place," Giaccone said, and should not hesitate to call Hanover police or Safety and Security.
College Proctor Harry Kinne could not be reached for comment.
