Thefts spike in January, August

The beginning of a new semester brings a high incidence of larcenies and thefts, UNM Police Department officials said.

“It is a big problem,” UNMPD spokesman Lt. Robert Haarhues said.

“Every year we have a new batch of freshmen who come in and there’s a learning curve because they’ve been at home where their parents would lock the door for them.”

Last week, a laptop and an iPod were stolen from a Lobo Village apartment and a backpack was stolen from a chair where it was left in the SUB, police reports said.

Haarhues said most thefts can be attributed individuals being careless with their belongings.

“There are those putting backpacks in study areas and then walking around,” he said. “Always be aware. Don’t leave stuff unattended.”

Police logs show the number of larcenies per month tends to drop off later into the semester. Reported incidents of theft, including bikes, wallets, backpacks, laptops and iPods, decreased from 71 in August to 58 in September of this year.

Haarhues said campus parking lots provide easy opportunities for theft because many students leave their belongings unsecured.
“Security is not there all the time,” he said. “Don’t leave your backpacks. Don’t leave your Apple computer on the seat.”

Haarhues said Johnson Field is another area with a high incidence of theft. He said students often leave their backpacks unattended while they run or exercise.

Though thefts declined campus-wide in September, Zimmerman Library has seen an increase in theft during recent weeks, associate dean Nancy Dennis said.

Employees started noticing an increase in reported thefts starting around Sept. 20 or 21, and she said Zimmerman added a security officer and put up signs warning students by Sept. 26 or 27.

Dennis said library staff members try to watch unattended laptops or backpacks. “But we can’t be everywhere all the time,” she said.