HAWAII COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM DORM ROOMS AT HALE NOELANI AT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII http://www.kaleo.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/10/31/4546f4f2e6c93


Kim Thiemann shouted in anger when she returned to her Hale Noelani dorm room early last week

Sunday morning. Thiemann and her roommate, Liana Cummo, had been burglarized.

In the 15 minutes that it took Thiemann and Cummo to step outside for a cigarette, a burglar broke into their room through a screen window and stole both of their laptop computers, a combined value of about $3,000.

Many Noelani residents, past and present, have experienced the frustration of having valuables stolen from their dorm rooms. However, this incident is one of many cases in a series of burglaries that have occurred in Noelani so far this semester.

Though chief of campus security Neal Sakamoto began working at University of Hawai‘i at M?noa only three months ago, he is already familiar with the prevalence of burglaries in the dorms.

“I’ve only been here this semester,” he said, “but already I am aware of the large amount of theft that occurs here.”

After reviewing the campus security log, Sakamoto indicated that between January and September of this year, 19 out of the 30 burglaries reported at the dorms came from Noelani residents. That’s more than all the other dorms combined, with Hale Lokelani coming in a distant second with five reported burglaries.

Although no statistics were available for October, Sakamoto said, “I know that there have been quite a bit of burglaries in the past couple of weeks that would add to this.”

According to the campus security Web site, the number of on-campus burglaries has significantly decreased over the past three years. In 2003, the Web site reports that 128 burglary cases were reported for on-campus facilities while in 2005 only 49 cases were documented. However, while on-campus burglaries have declined altogether, the number of burglaries specifically in the dorms has remained steady between 24-33 burglaries annually over the three year period.

Sakamoto attributes the high burglary rate in the dorms, particularly in Noelani, to residents not protecting their rooms or belongings.

“A lot of it has to do with students not securing their items,” he said. “It tends to happen when they least expect it, when they go out for a cigarette or soda after studying for a while.”

The resident advisors at the Noelani dorms have taken extra steps to make sure that their residents are aware of this problem.

“We’ve put up signs to the regard that all doors and windows should be locked if the resident isn’t in the front part of their room,” said David Gibbons, an RA at Noelani. “We’ll notify them if we see that their window or door is unlocked and they are not there. But as far as I know, there have been no cases of burglary with locked doors and windows.”

Thiemann and Cummo were aware of the problem; in fact, one of these warning signs is posted just outside their door. But the two argued that they always keep their door locked, but must keep their window open to allow fresh air into their room.

“They were saying to lock our screens,” Cummo said, “but it gets too hot in here. We don’t get a breeze or anything so we have to keep them open.”
Cummo believes that the burglar surveyed their room before they left for a cigarette.

“The person must have watched us and known what they were doing,” said Cummo, “‘cause our roommates were sleeping in the other room and we were gone for so short a time.

Not only were Thiemann and Cummo’s other two roommates sleeping at the time of the burglary, but both Thiemann and Cummo were within viewing distance of their room as the burglary occurred.

“They obviously knew what they were doing,” Cummo said. “We would have seen them if they just blatantly walked into the room.”

When asked, Sakamoto agreed that the recent series of burglaries are either committed by the same perpetrator(s) or are related in some way.

“These guys obviously know what they’re doing,” he added.

Currently, solutions for these consistent break-ins are being pursued. Gibbons said that there has been talk among the RAs of establishing a neighborhood watch to keep a closer eye on dorm rooms. Sakamoto and campus security are currently working with HPD to try to reduce the number of burglaries at UH.

However, Sakamoto advised student, “Secure your rooms, even if gone for a short while. Also, keep track of your belongings. You can do this simply by etching into them or marking them in some way. You’d be surprised how this deters most thieves.”

The vast majority of the goods stolen from rooms include portable electronic devices (such as cell phones, iPods and laptop computers) as well as purses and wallets, so take extra precaution in securing these particular items.

If you live in the dorms and have had items stolen from you, make sure to report it to campus security and the HPD.

“We encourage people to contact us as well as HPD,” Sakamoto said, “so that they can look for the goods at pawn shops and such, and be able to return the belongings to the proper victim.” Every report filed also helps campus security determine which areas need more help and attention, so make sure to inform the proper authorities in the event of anytheft.