Security Alert -- Theft On Campus

November 10, 2009 |

This week, two separate incidents of theft occurred in the Hoffberger Science Building.  In one, personal property was taken, and in the other, college property was the target. 

On Tuesday, November 10, between noon and 3:00 p.m., a wallet was taken from an unlocked and unoccupied office.  Between 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10, and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, a 42-inch plasma display screen was removed from the first floor hallway across from the X-lab.  These felony thefts have been reported to the Baltimore County Police Department, which has launched an active investigation.

We ask anyone who has knowledge of either theft to please contact the Office of Public Safety immediately.  You may report information by visiting the Office of Public Safety on the ground floor of Heubeck; calling Public Safety at 410-337-6112; sending an e-mail to security@goucher.edu or through the anonymous “Silent Witness” program at www.goucher.edu/silentwitness.

Crime Prevention Reminder:

Goucher community members should observe the following theft prevention tips from the Office of Public Safety:

1. Always lock your room or office door whenever you leave, even if it is “only for a minute.”
2. Do not leave personal property, including laptop computers, unattended in an area accessible by the general public. 
3. Contact the Office of Public Safety immediately if you feel that a person is acting in a suspicious manner.
4. Offer assistance to individuals who appear to be lost, or call the Office of Public Safety to have them escorted to their destination. (Anyone who is truly lost will be appreciative, while those who are here for an illegal activity will most likely leave campus because they know they have lost their anonymity.)  
5. If you find your desk or belongings open, perform an immediate inventory of the contents, particularly those of your wallet and checkbook.
   Note: In most cases criminals do not take all of the credit cards or checks. The theft is not discovered until the credit card company or bank calls you, you need to use a specific card, or you’re at the end of your book of checks and find several missing. 
6. Immediately notify your credit card company to cancel any cards that are missing and request a transaction report as soon as possible.  Often the locations where the cards are used have surveillance cameras, which can be used to identify the person(s) responsible.  If the video is not obtained within a short period of time, however, the tape will be recycled and used again, thus destroying the evidence.

We appreciate the continued assistance of community members in ensuring that Goucher is a safe place to learn and live.