Boston University police have identified two suspects in thefts that occurred at the Fitness and Recreation Center earlier this semester, one of the first developments in a string of thefts reported at the state-of-the-art campus gym and students’ residences.
Earlier this semester, at least five people reported thefts at FitRec. BUPD reported on its website Nov. 9 that two suspects have been identified in at least one of the thefts, though no details are listed about the suspects.
Most of the thefts on BU’s campus happen between Kenmore Square and the BU Bridge, while the majority of vehicle break-ins occur on Beacon Street, Commonwealth Avenue and Bay State Road, said BUPD Sgt. Jack St. Hilaire.
Just as the sexual assault rate on and near campus appears to have increased, thefts may appear to have risen because they happened in a relatively short period of time, but BU’s crime rate has remained relatively stable this year, St. Hilaire said.
After two residential break-ins during one week in October were blamed on faulty locks, BUPD has urged students to contact their resident assistants and Residence Life offices as soon as they discover a faulty or broken lock.
If they continue to have lock problems, students should contact the Dean of Students Office and the Housing Office, St. Hilaire said. Students can also contact the BUPD if they need additional help, he said.
“If [students] need assistance from us, they should call us,” St. Hilaire said. “It helps us if people notice these things and call.”
St. Hilaire said officers assigned to specific campus areas will replace faulty locks if students call for help.
In the most recent alleged residential theft, two South Campus apartments were broken into during Thanksgiving break, leaving electronics and jewelry worth more than $2,000 missing. College of Arts and Sciences junior Veronica Barila, whose property was stolen, said she had locked her door before leaving her 6 Buswell apartment for break.
Police found no signs of forced entry in either apartment, St. Hilaire said.
“There’s no physical evidence at this time,” he said. “At this point, we have no leads.”
BUPD Captain Robert Molloy said in the Buswell Street robberies, police are less likely to find fingerprints because there was no forced entry.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said although the keys are not supposed to be duplicated, he is sure “there are lots of people out there with copies of keys.”
Barila said she was unable to get her locks changed before dark when she returned from break Nov. 26. Though she agreed to pay $110 for an emergency lock change, Facilities Management said it could not change her locks until the next morning.
Housing Director Marc Robillard said the locks in both apartments have been changed, and students were not charged for replacing the locks.
Robillard said room locks are changed if students report lost keys or if a key is not returned once a student moves out. He said these changes are performed by trained locksmiths who are also BU employees.
Robillard said there have been so few thefts in residences that there is no obvious pattern of behavior.
“In years past, it’s been the same person doing it,” Robillard said in an email. “Police develop a pattern of behavior. No pattern makes it very difficult. . . . It presupposes someone from outside and not someone from our community.”
Just over a month earlier, two men allegedly stole $1,500 in electronics from a BU hockey player on Bay State Road when they broke into the student’s apartment by jiggling a faulty door handle that occasionally sticks.
During the same week, a South Campus apartment on Mountfort Street was broken into, and thieves allegedly took more than $5,000 in electronics, after fiddling with another faulty lock, residents said.
Residents in the second instance said locks were still faulty immediately after being changed by emergency maintenance workers. Upon nudging the door with her hip, one of the residents said the door popped open.
A locksmith who works for 24/7 Locksmith said he inspected the locks after they were changed at the request of one of the students and found they were unsafe because of their simplicity.
Robillard said students living on Mountfort Street told him they had used only the handset to lock their door and did not use the deadbolt.
“It was unfortunate they were victims,” he said. “It could have been prevented if they had used the deadbolt.”
Robillard said deadbolts prevent someone with a crowbar from jimmying a door open.
“The handset is fine,” Robillard said. “It’s not a cheap handset.”
Molloy said police expect students to report any door that does not close properly.
Beyond residences, BUPD has officers trained to make security assessments of other buildings on campus, but there are more than 400 buildings to assess. The number of police officers trained in making security assessments has increased this year, St. Hilaire said.
BUPD began making security assessments of residence halls last year, St. Hilaire said, adding police have already checked security at the College of Fine Arts and the School of Law.