[Cp-bulletin] Informational Bulletin - Laptop Theft

[Cheryl N Vossmer]

Informational Bulletin
Laptop and other electronic device thefts
Issued: December 2, 2011


Although the campus is full of faculty, staff and students, there are also people here with nefarious intentions. Maybe at this time of year we can call them a Grinch! MIT is a world class institution with all sorts' of equipment to include - laptops, I-phones, e-book readers, and bicycles, and lots of them! Because of these opportunities, those with less than desirable intentions, prey at places like MIT. Between November 1 and December 1 there have been reports of 21 laptops stolen,  12 reports of cell phones, and 11 bikes  and several reports of backpacks across campus. All of the laptops were stolen while left unattended, although two were locked with cables in an unlocked and unattended room. In one instance a thief had walked into a living group where he was stealing laptops, when they called the MIT Police we located the suspect and arrested him for breaking and entering and other related charges.

There is no specific day of the week or weekend, although the most common time of day is from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The trend is unlocked area, an unattended bag or office, and all but two were not STOP* tagged. The majority of the backpacks and laptops have been taken from E51, the libraries, Stata, Bldg. 10, and the student center, although no building is exempt from the possibility of a theft. There are no helpful descriptions of suspects to pass along at this time.

During this same time frame there have been 11 bicycles reported stolen. All bikes were locked with a cable lock, except one which had a U-lock on the front tire only. None of the bikes were registered with the Parking and Transportation Office. The value of bikes range from $100 and up.

*Security Tracking of Office Property http://www.stoptheft.com/site/index.php  will be offered on Wednesday, December 14th from 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. in E17-IS&T.

SUGGESTIONS:
Keep your doors, laptops, wallets, pocketbooks etc. locked at all times.
Please report suspicious activity immediately - you are the eyes and ears of the campus.
See Something Say Something - call the MIT Police at 617-253-1212
Safety Starts with YOU!
Register your laptop computers at the next Laptop registration session. There is a $10 cash fee for this service and the price hasn't increased since 1999 - now how's that for fighting crime and inflation!

BICYCLES:
Register your bicycle for FREE http://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/bicycle_reg.html
Use a U-lock. Cable locks are easily defeated!

Issued by:
Sgt. Cheryl Vossmer
MIT Police
617-253-1212
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