OKLAHOMA COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM UNIVERSITY DORM ROOMS The Oklahoma Daily - Dorm rooms burglarizedAt least five OU students had laptop computers and other electronics stolen from their dorm rooms Tuesday night, local law-enforcement authorities said. The property is valued at nearly $10,000.

Various floors in Walker Center and Couch Center were struck around 8 or 9 p.m., according to police records. Along with laptop computers, the thieves took Playstation2s, video games and controllers.

Detectives with the OU Department of Public Safety, working in connection with Oklahoma City police, issued a search warrant Wednesday for an Oklahoma City residence and recovered at least one of the laptop computers, said Sgt. Gary Robinson of OUDPS. Police have identified at least four suspects, but it is unclear whether they are affiliated with the university, Robinson said.

Robinson said it is vital that students always secure their doors because that’s how the thieves gained access to the students’ rooms.

“If they leave those doors open, criminals will come in,” he said.

Josh Pickering, anthropology and history sophomore, had his laptop stolen from his room on the fifth floor of Walker Center around 8 p.m. He was out eating with friends while his roommate was in the shower. Pickering said his roommate left the door unlocked for a short time and that’s when the thieves struck.

Pickering said his roommate came out of the bathroom when he heard his computer speakers crash to the ground. By the time he got to his room, the thieves were gone.

“I was mad at him for not locking the door, but I forgave it because you get too caught up in what you’re doing,” Pickering said.

Pickering said he had a lot of personal information on his laptop that he feared the thieves would try to access. He had to change his OU password and other passwords for fear of identity theft.

“That took me all night to do with friends’ computers,” Pickering said.

Despite the theft, Pickering said he isn’t worried.

“I still feel safe in the dorms,” he said.

In response to the burglaries, Pickering said resident advisers have been posting signs instructing students to always lock their doors.

A. Phil McNeal, music and pre-med sophomore, lives on the same floor as Pickering and said he doesn’t know who to trust anymore. He said he often leaves his door unlocked while he’s on the floor.

“You don’t think someone’s going to steal something while you’re in the room,” McNeal said.

The thieves went from door to door checking to see if any of the rooms were unlocked, Robinson said. He said the thieves accidentally barged in on a few occupied rooms and acted like they wanted to burn a CD. Several students said they saw suspicious people on their floors that night but didn’t report it to police until after the burglaries had occurred.

“Had they called in regards to the suspects earlier, there would have been a very good chance we could have apprehended the suspects,” Robinson said.

Detectives need serial and model numbers in order to reclaim stolen property through the National Crime Intelligence Service, Robinson said.

“It makes recovery a lot easier in these cases,” Robinson said.

Pickering said he submitted the serial number for his laptop Wednesday.

Another student reported that her backpack was stolen from her dorm room on the 12th floor of Walker Center. Robinson said it is unclear whether this incident is connected to the other burglaries.

In January 2003, during winter break, a string of burglaries in Parker and Oliver houses in Cate Center resulted in $7,000 worth of property being stolen from students.