In 2009, 15 cases of university equipment theft and 104 cases of student property theft were reported.
The Campus Public Safety Office (CPSO) is facing challenges in safeguarding not only the property of the university, but also students. Every year, there are hundreds of complaints to its office regarding the loss of laptops, books and more.
“Theft of students’ personal belongings is more prevalent than the theft of belongings of departments,” said Michael Soto, CPSO director. “[But the] loss of 100 books from a department is a relatively major loss compared to 100 students out of 26,000 losing one book each,” Soto said.
Laptops, computers and projectors belonging to Audio and Visual Services top the list of equipment stolen from the university.
“Portland State University’s logo is burned in every projector so that whenever the device is switched on, the logo is displayed first to identify that it is property of the university,” Soto said.
CPSO has alarms installed and locks up valuable equipment, but the challenge of safeguarding items comes when classrooms are open for use, especially when rooms are deserted between classes.
“Classes have to be kept open between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and most of the theft occurs during this time,” Soto said.
Various departments and CPSO are working together to help prevent theft through the launch of a program this summer meant to enhance the safety of student and university belongings.
GPS tracking devices will be installed in equipment to allow it to be tracked if stolen. CPSO will also allow students to register their personal belongings, like laptops and other valuable devices.
CPSO requests that students be wary of thieves and be vigilant with their personal property.
“Students are also requested to report crime as soon as possible so that CPSO can take necessary actions,” Soto said.