WISCONSIN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS THEFTS DECLINE Advance Titan Online

According to University Police reports, the number of campus thefts and burglary offenses dropped last year in comparison to previous years.The 2005 annual report released by the department indicated there were a combined 89 thefts and burglaries on campus. In 2003 there was a combined 106 burglary and theft offenses along with 102 reported instances in 2002.The dollar amount of the items taken also decreased significantly as only $26,529 in property losses were reported for last year. Over $45,000 was reported stolen each year for 2002 and 2003.University Police Communications Operator Elyn Wissbroeker said she and several UP officers agree that the number of thefts has been about the same recently.“Sometimes there are several in a month’s time and then again none in a month’s time,” Wissbroeker said. Of the more than $26,000 in property losses last year, over $5,200 were recovered by the UP according to the report. A large portion of the property stolen was categorized as either office equipment or electronics.While the number of thefts and the dollar amount taken may be dropping, the effects that theft has on individual students still remains an issue. UW-Oshkosh junior Gretta Rolfson said that she was a victim of theft last May when she lived in South Scott Hall.Rolfson said she and her roommate left their dorm room during finals week to go to the bathroom. When they returned about two minutes later, Rolfson said her laptop computer, valued at $2000, was stolen. “I felt very safe there,” Rolfson said. “It was my second year living in the same room and we knew all of our neighbors.”She said it was unusual for her and her roommate to leave the door open a crack, and the computer wasn’t even in plain sight when it was taken.Rolfson said there wasn’t a lot the UP was able to do about the situation and she took on the initiative herself to try and recover the laptop. “The University Police took down the report, but overall they weren’t too helpful throughout the situation,” Rolfson said. “It was a lot of me contacting them and hanging up signs.”One of the worst parts of the situation, Rolfson said, was losing all of the information on her computer and knowing someone else had it. Rolfson said the person who took her computer would be able to access things such as her personal information, resume and photographs.“It was really painful and I felt violated,” Rolfson said. “It’s just the fact that someone else had my life in their hands.”