With the fall semester in full swing, the Boston University Police Department has noticed an increase in bicycle thefts, a reoccurring problem over the past several years.
“The most prominent crime right now is bike theft,” said BU Deputy Director of Safety Scott Paré. “This is probably caused by a combination of using a cheap lock and, if students used good ones, they didn’t use them properly.”
To monitor this trend, BUPD has put “bait bike system” in place, which involved adding surveillance cameras on bike stands, Paré said.
“BUPD is hoping on educating…the students to prevent this,” he said. “We would educate them on proper bicycle locks and put additional patrol in certain areas with non-uniformed and uniformed officers.”
There have been 21 cases of bike theft so far in the 2014-15 academic year. Theft of other items such as laptops, money, cell phones and backpacks are also still prevalent, Paré said.
In addition to bike thefts, BUPD continues to address concerns with alcohol, drug usage and large parties.
Since September, 47 students have been transported to the hospital due to high alcohol consumption, only one fewer than the same time last year. There have also been nine narcotics violations for marijuana, Paré said.
“BUPD has been trying to educate through AlcoholEdu and info sessions during orientation on excessive amount of drinking,” he said.
BUPD will hold a Public Safety Week in November to promote resources such as self-defense programs and bike safety through a couple hour-long programs. The week will emphasize bike safety and promote proper use of qualified bicycle locks, Paré said.
In the past two weeks, Boston Police Department has responded to five cases around Central Campus and Babcock Street and three near Allston, according to the website crime reports to which BPD reports statistics.
This past weekend, BPD responded to four large parties with direct affiliation to BU in the Ashford, Gardner and Pratt Streets area in Allston, Paré said.
District 14, the Allston-Brighton precinct, has seen 61 cases of vehicle theft, a decrease from 80 cases in 2013. Other instances of theft, larceny and burglary have occurred in the area as well, according to the BPD news website.
Several students expressed mixed feelings toward BUPD’s efforts to address crime on campus.
Wei-Chi Su, a freshman in the School of Hospitality, said BU’s policies best reflects students’ independence.
“It’s good that BU doesn’t just straight out say like, ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that,’ but they give you a choice, and I think it’s just right for college students to have the ability to be responsible for their own actions and have the freedom to choose,” he said.
Kevin Huang, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said it is up to students to stay mindful of their belongings to prevent theft from happening in the first place.
“I see a lot of students leaving their bags in the dining hall,” he said. “I didn’t know that theft is a prominent crime, but I can see why that it is cause lots of people leave their stuff around.”
Emma Moehlenhoff, a senior in the College of Communication, said while she has not noticed an increase in BUPD’s efforts, she appreciates that they are available to address any potential concerns.
“I’ve seen more BUPD hanging around. They kind of died off since the start of school,” she said. “I just think BU’s always there, and police officers, and somebody waiting for something to happen if anything does happen.”
