With enrollment numbers on the rise at Sinclair Community College, Police Chief and Director of Public Safety Charles Gift said theft is becoming more of a problem on campus.
“More students on campus means there is more chance that things will be taken because students leave a lot of property unattended,” Gift said. “Unfortunately, things are taken from students.”
Twenty-six recorded offenses were listed in the Sinclair Police Report for March with 21 of those being theft related. Gift said the amount of theft is primarily made by non-students. With Sinclair being an open-campus, Gift said students will have to be more aware of where personal belongings are left. Gift said the amount of theft on campus has risen from a year ago.
“Students can significantly and positively impact crime by not leaving their property unattended while here at the college,” he said.
Gift said Sinclair Police hired an additional five student security officers whose job is to find unattended property that will be turned into the police department where students can recover their belongings. The officers leave a card in place of the property informing the student that Sinclair Police have safely confiscated the item.
Gift also mentioned the amount of theft occurring in the parking garages. He suggests students place valuables in the trunk and keep doors locked. An estimated 50 percent of stolen property is recovered by the Sinclair Police, according to Gift.
“The economy has played a major role in our statistics here,” Gift said. “When the economy is bad, more people are taking things that don’t belong to them.”
For more information or questions, contact Lt. Scott Fowler at 512-2700.