Property theft is a common occurrence on most college campuses, and RPI is no exception. As many students are aware, the Department of Public Safety is here to help thwart crime, including “property crime.” Recent trends in reported property crimes indicate that the incidents are decreasing; however, Lieutenant Joseph Audino wants to emphasize that no crime on campus is “minor” to the Department of Public Safety, and theft is still a big issue on RPI’s campus.
“September and October brought with it some unique challenges,” according to Audino. “We immediately began to get hit with smash and grabs, car windows smashed for quick entry, resulting in stereos stolen. But there was no pattern as they occurred in many different parking lots, some brazenly in the daytime hours in areas that were populated with students and staff.”
Bike thefts occurred simultaneously with car stereo thefts, starting around the time Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond was kicking into gear. Public lewdness became a problem as well when several incidents were reported of a male subject exposing himself to female victims.
Although these crimes happened in lower numbers than previous years, what made the last two months particularly challenging was that “we experienced all these trends at the same times or time period,” said Audino. “This is the first time this has occurred.” Fortunately, Audino noted that the thefts and public exposure have ceased.
“It does appear that the 2004-2005 semester is going to be a busy one,” Audino commented.
Statistics on larcenies, burglaries, and criminal mischief incidents on RPI’s campus have not yet been reported for the year 2004. However, in 2000, there were 186 larcenies, 185 in 2001, 113 in 2002, and in 2003, the number was 95, demonstrating a decreasing trend. The same can be observed with reported burglaries: in 2000, there were 57, 31 in 2001, 28 in 2002, and 18 in 2003.
Reported incidents of criminal mischief also followed the downward trend with 142 incidents reported in 2000, 122 in 2001, 96 in 2002, and 63 in 2003. The steady decrease in “quality of life crimes,” as Public Safety refers to them, bodes well for RPI students, but it doesn’t necessarily ensure a decrease in the reported numbers of crimes against property or account for crimes that aren’t reported.
While Audino said that Public Safety is committed to deterring property crime, he admitted that their prime efforts are directed toward reducing “crimes against person,” which includes “direct physical threats against a person such as sexual assault, robbery (forcible taking of property), assaults, harassments, and stalkings” because of the “criticality of these types of crimes.”
It’s true that RPI students can walk the campus and see Public Safety officers on foot, in a marked vehicle, part of their plan to prevent crimes against person. “Our efforts go with the most basic functions of patrol…Consistent, highly visible patrols with the objective of deterring those that would consider committing these types of crimes on campus, from ever infiltrating the community.”
Property crimes are still crimes, and they deserve the same amount of attention as any other type of crime committed, as far as Public Safety is concerned. “We do not treat property crimes as ‘minor’, whether it’s a wallet with twenty dollars cash, a laptop, or a car stereo system. We have a saying here: ‘Minor crime—major player.’ What we find many times is that these so-called “minor” crimes are being committed by people who are on parole, probation, and can be considered ‘career’ criminals,” Audino emphasized.
The Department of Public Safety aims to cover all types of crime, no matter what the degree of seriousness. “With all this concern about protecting students, faculty, staff, and visitors from crimes against their persons, does this mean that crimes against property are not serious? No—crimes against property are serious as these crimes affect the quality of life on any college campus,” he said.
It is not entirely the job of Public Safety to protect your belongings, though. Students must take reasonable and responsible measures to protect their own property, especially since it’s difficult to distinguish whether it was stolen by someone from RPI’s campus or an outsider.
Lieutenant Audino’s advice to all students on keeping their belongings safe while on campus is simple: “For a person to commit a crime, he or she has to have the ability, the desire, and the opportunity. It’s hard for us to control the first two, but we can and do have control over the opportunity. Don’t give someone the opportunity. Keep your valuables out of plain view and locked up.”
He also pointed out the many available resources offered on campus and the people committed to student life. “It’s my intention that students will feel comfortable enough to approach a Public Safety officer with confidence that they will get the help they need,” he said. “It’s difficult when a job has an enforcement function to also appear approachable. But officers who truly care about their community will always find a way to balance that function with the need to serve and assist you in keeping safe and solving problems that affect your quality of life.”
Commonly stolen items students should be especially careful about include laptops (backpacks as well), bikes, and car stereos. Students with out-of-state plates should be aware that license plates have also become a hot commodity. Over a dozen license plates have been reported stolen within the last few days. Students wanting to contact the Department of Public Safety to report a theft or another type of crime can call the non-emergency line at 276-6656.
