CALIFORNIA COMPUTERS STOLEN http://www.mydesert.com/article/20110111/NEWS0801/110111016/Computers-stolen-from-two-valley-schools

Computers stolen from two valley schools

BRIAN INDRELUNAS • THE DESERT SUN • JANUARY 11, 2011

More than 30 computers were stolen from two elementary schools early Tuesday, police and school district officials said.

A burglar or burglars took 26 laptops used for an after-school program at Landau Elementary in Cathedral City and six used in a classroom at Cahuilla Elementary in Palm Springs, said Joan Boiko, spokeswoman for the Palm Springs Unified School District.

“The reason there were only six there is the rest of them were at home with the kids,” she added.

The thief or thieves broke a window to get into both schools in break-ins that happened one after another in the early-morning hours Tuesday, Boiko said.

Palm Springs police were called to an alarm at Cahuilla Elementary, 833 E. Mesquite Ave., at 3:04 a.m.

“It was a good window smash, but the suspect fled before we got there,” said Officer Rhonda Long, a Palm Springs police spokeswoman.

Officers searched the neighborhood but didn’t find anyone. Police don’t have a description of the thief or thieves.

“I don’t believe that they have surveillance there, so no, we don’t have a suspect in mind,” Long said.

Surveillance footage was likely not available at either school, Boiko said.

At Landau Elementary, 30-310 Landau Blvd., someone broke a lock on a security gate before breaking into the school itself and using bolt cutters to get the laptops from a cart, Boiko said.

A Cathedral City police spokesman could not be immediately reached by phone for further details.

Cahuilla Elementary in Palm Springs has been burglarized before. About 30 computers were taken from another classroom on Dec. 4.

In the Cahuilla classrooms that were hit, each student is assigned a laptop.

“It’s just part of their daily work,” Boiko said. “It’s a relatively new program, but it’s incorporated into their lessons and used throughout the day.”

Anyone with information on the burglaries was asked to contact the appropriate police department.

“We hope that we are able to find out who’s behind this and retrieve the equipment,” Boiko said.

A Palm Springs police watch commander can be reached at (760) 323-8115, and Cathedral City police can be reached at (760) 770-0300.