Since the start of the fall semester, approximately eight to ten thefts have occurred on campus, particularly in woodframe houses. According to Director of Public Safety Dave Meyer, most of the items stolen were laptops and other expensive electronics.

The thefts, which Meyer said took place primarily during the evening hours of Friday and Saturday in order to take advantage of students leaving for nighttime activities, tended to target houses with open doors and windows. According to Meyer, none of these thefts showed signs of a break-in, with the exception of one case of a broken screen window.

Meyer said that he thought it likely that these thefts were connected. Though Public Safety (PSafe) has not yet identified any suspects, Meyer has planned more nighttime patrols and has coordinated with the Middletown Police Department in an effort to halt these thefts.

In addition, an email was sent out from Residential Life to Area Coordinators reminding them to tell students to keep their doors and windows locked and their shades pulled down when going out. The email reminded students to use window stops when their windows are open and to submit work orders for any broken windows.  It also suggested that students report any suspicious behavior to PSafe.