My room was broken into, and I lost about $1,000 in possessions (cell phone/PDA and some cash)—making it a felony class crime. I first called my phone company to deactivate my phone, and they told me to call 911—as my phone has a GPS tracking device inside to aid in its recovery. I called 911 on my campus phone—and it rang, and rang, and rang. I then went to the Public Safety office (where I was virtually laughed out of the office by two officers who found felony theft hilarious), waited 15 minutes as they bickered over who would do the report, and was ready to head for some real law enforcement, (the people our 911, even if it worked, doesn’t reach) when a courteous officer finally showed up and took my report. Nonetheless, no one came to my room, no one contacted me, and no one pursued the GPS tracking.

My hometown, New York City, had a problem much like this in the early ’90s. There was a decision within the NYPD to take focus away from “quality-of-life” crimes and focus on more serious matters. By the mid ’90s, crime in the city had risen exponentially. Mayor Giuliani took over and set about resolving the small crimes that people complained about—petty theft, mugging, and so on. Within a few years, crimes from bike theft to murder were down dramatically. My fear is that if Public Safety is willing to overlook $1,000 in theft, where do they start paying attention? Assault, rape, murder? We need a solution; I don’t know whether it’s sacking incompetent Public Safety management or just hiring courteous, decent officers who know how to investigate something beside an overdue parking meter.

After having my bicycle seat stolen while tied to a bike rack negligently put outside, I was doubtful of any response from ResLife, whose employees had been making life miserable since I arrived. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Even in light of the Nugent Hall flood and its aftermath, I received prompt, courteous service and my room lock was replaced in minutes.