WASHINGTON COMPUTERS STOLEN http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/04/10/2475911/tacoma-officials-baffled-by-theft.html


POSTED: Wednesday, Apr. 11, 2012
Tacoma officials baffled by theft of City Council members' laptops
SEAN ROBINSON - Staff writer



It’s not quite spy-thriller fodder, but in the last few days, someone swiped four laptop computers from Tacoma City Hall – all of them assigned to City Council members.


The circumstances are still unclear, but it looks as though the thief (or thieves) took the computers during working hours and walked past a reception desk, possibly in full view of city security cameras.


The computers were taken from council-member cubicles on the 12th floor of City Hall. When they were taken is unclear; the loss was discovered Tuesday, but the theft could have occurred within the last five to six days, said city spokesman Rob McNair-Huff.

The laptops were assigned to David Boe, Ryan Mello, Jake Fey and Anders Ibsen. It was unclear Tuesday who first discovered the theft, McNair-Huff said. City leaders called police Tuesday to investigate and began reviewing security footage. The city has tentatively ruled out the possibility that computer technicians took the laptops for routine maintenance or repair.


The theft went unnoticed at first because council members work part time. They come into the office twice a week or so, McNair-Huff said – and not always to the cubicle area.


The 12th-floor cubicles provide small workspaces, with a laptop for each member. Mayor Marilyn Strickland is the lone exception; she has a separate office in the same area, with a door and a lock. Her laptop was not stolen.


The stolen laptops are Hewlett-Packard models, 3 to 5 years old and a bit bulky – maybe 5 pounds apiece. Council members use them occasionally to check email or read documents. They’re not state-of-the-art devices. Some members use them only lightly, preferring the convenience of checking email on smartphones or their personal computers.


The cubicle area is accessible to the public, but individuals must walk past a receptionist when coming and going. The door to the reception area is locked after business hours.


Video cameras monitor the entrance, and they’re also posted at the City Hall exits.


What’s on the computers? Not much. They’re similar to computers at local libraries: some storage space and an Internet connection. The city keeps key records on internal servers. Council members use the password-protected laptops to read correspondence and agenda items.


“It’s not like it’s a bunch of top-secret stuff,” McNair-Huff said.


Sean Robinson: 253-597-8486


sean.robinson@thenewstribune.com