WASHINGTON COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM BELLEVUE AREA SCHOOLS kingcountyjournal.com - Burglars target schools' tech gearBurglars target schools' tech gear
2004-12-01
by David A. Grant
Journal Reporter

BELLEVUE -- The downside of having cutting-edge technology in the classroom may be the desire by some people to steal it, as demonstrated by two burglaries at Bellevue schools over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

More than $6,000 worth of computers and other electronic gear was stolen sometime between Nov. 24 and Nov. 29 from Eastgate Elementary School. And in the early morning hours of Nov. 27, equipment was taken from Highland Middle School.

The burglars are just the latest to target classroom computer equipment.

Since Sept. 1, eight burglaries have occurred at Bellevue schools, half of them at Sammamish High School, according to Michael Chiu, a spokesman for the Bellevue Police Department.

The thieves' target is computers.
Chiu said equipment taken from Eastgate includes four Dell desktop computers, four monitors, an Apple computer and a scanner.

Stolen from Highland were a Dell laptop computer, an Apple computer and a camera.

While the district doesn't keep a running tally of stolen property, Gene Ladke, security coordinator for the Bellevue School District, estimates there are approximately two such burglaries each month.

Over the past year, the thefts have cost the district tens of thousands of dollars, Ladke said. He estimated it costs roughly $1,500 to replace each piece of stolen computer equipment.

``The most popular things now are desktop computers and laptops. They are easy to pick up and carry off,'' Ladke said. ``It's sort of ironic. We have this great stuff, but everyone wants it.''

It's also versatile stuff. Computers can be used to play video games or paired with a stolen projector to create a projection television setup, he said.

``With laptops and projectors, you can use them for so many things. A laptop is very desirable,'' Ladke said. ``Students didn't use to break in and steal books.''

Ladke said the district's best allies in preventing burglaries are neighbors who live near schools.

If something doesn't look right on school property, residents should call the police, he said.

Jack McLeod, director of facilities and information services, said the district has about 7,000 desktop and laptop computers. He estimated that a total of perhaps 50 computers have been taken in the past three to four years.

That's about the time the district switched from Apple computers to PCs.

``That seems to be a little more attractive platform. More software runs on it. Also, the PCs tend to be gray and generic looking. They don't stand out,'' McLeod said. ``(Stolen computers are) a small percentage in the district, but it's still disturbing and alarming. They are really tough to track down.''

Not all of the thefts are after hours, McLeod said.

Sometimes computer equipment is stolen while schools are open, so the district is trying to educate its educators about locking up laptops when they're not in use, even if only for a few minutes.

Also to prevent thefts, officials increasingly are using cable locks to fix computer equipment to tables.

``We're looking at everything we can do to secure these things,'' McLeod said.
David Grant can be reached at david.grant@kingcountyjournal.com or 425-453-4237.