COLORADO COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR CAMPUS COMPUTER GEAR Colorado State University - Faculty and Staff Resources (e-Comment Daily)

Theft is the most common crime on American college campuses, and Colorado State University is not immune to this problem. The CSU community is experiencing a sharp increase in the amount of computer and audio-visual equipment thefts, especially in our academic buildings. The CSU Police Department is committed to reducing this problem; however, the university community must work with us under our philosophy of community policing and shared responsibility.

The recurring incident of computer and audio-visual theft is causing us to take a good look at the systems currently in place to deter these types of crimes. We are working with Senior Vice President Tony Frank and the academic areas as well as Academic Computing and Networking Services and Facilities Management on strategies to address this growing problem.

In the meantime, we are asking members of the university community to join with us in a proactive partnership to assist with this recurring problem.

First, if it appears that someone is removing computer and/or audio-visual equipment from academic buildings, please call police immediately. While theft is a difficult crime for police to prevent, computer theft is the easiest for you to prevent. It is imperative that you call immediately with a description and location of a suspect. The majority of computer-related thefts are committed by those who use our facilities. Help us by being observant of suspicious activity.

Second, many thefts occur from unlocked and unattended offices. Please lock office doors and laboratories even if you will be gone only a short period of time. A thief needs mere seconds to steal a computer and all its valuable information.

Third, please take inventory of all office equipment and check offices and laboratories often for signs of theft. If something is missing, please report it IMMEDIATELY. We are experiencing a delay between the time a theft may have occurred and when it is reported.

Finally, please understand that computer-related theft impacts us all, not just one person or department. We all need to work together to help reduce this problem. Preventing any form of theft is a responsibility to be shared by all of us. You can help the police by being an extra set of eyes and ears.

If you believe that a computer related crime is in progress, please contact the CSUPD at 911. For non-emergencies, we can be reached at 491-6425.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact our Public Information Officer, Corporal Yvonne Paez, at 491-6425.

Thank you for your assistance.

Chief D. Yarbrough
Chief of Police