This article was originally published in the Welcome Home print issue of The Daily Utah Chronicle, originally in stands on August 25, 2024. It has not been updated and some information may be out of date.
The University of Utah has long been committed to ensuring the protection of its students and their belongings, but despite the concerted efforts of university officials, theft remains a significant issue on campus.
Campus Theft
According to the university’s public safety dashboard, 84,100 dispatch calls were made related to crime in the past year, and law enforcement made a total of 395 arrests. This resulted in 215 cases being opened related to theft. As of Aug. 1, 2024, general theft topped the list with 144 cases, followed by 62 cases of bicycle theft and nine cases of motor vehicle theft.
These figures do not account for any unreported incidents, suggesting the actual quantities could be higher. There is currently no method available to accurately determine the exact amounts.
Sean Grube, associate vice president of Housing and Residential Education at the U, said most of these cases are “theft of convenience.”
Grube said the stolen items in these occurrences are typically possessions individuals left unattended in public areas, such as bicycles, clothing and devices.
An examination of the public safety dashboard’s heat map indicates the majority of these cases happened near Kahlert Village and the University Hospital. Kahlert Village is a residential building that opened in August 2020. It contains multiple classrooms and houses over 1,400 first-year students.
Theft also occurred near main and upper campus. Main campus consists of the A. Ray Olpin Student Union, the Marriott Library and department buildings. Upper campus comprises several residential buildings, including Benchmark Plaza, Chapel Glen, Gateway Heights, Sage Point and Shoreline Ridge.
According to U Police Captain Brian Lohrke, campus theft significantly affects students, but it also extends beyond just them. Lohrke said individuals who are not associated with the university are often involved in some of these cases.
As a state-owned university, the U permits public access to certain parts of campus. Individuals can enter various buildings within designated timeframes, with the exception of residential spaces.
Lohrke said many of the locations open to the public, such as the University Hospital, also see incidents of theft. He added that when students are not on campus, much of the University Police Department’s attention is diverted to these places.
“A good portion of the people we interact with are not students,” Lohrke said.
He said individuals unaffiliated with the university are frequently the perpetrators of theft but are also occasionally the victims.
Security Measures
According to Grube and Lohrke, the U has implemented a comprehensive array of security measures aimed at safeguarding the possessions of its students. Lohrke cited surveillance cameras in the residential buildings on campus as particularly useful devices in detecting suspicious behavior and reducing the frequency of theft.
“That’s one of the big benefits that we have on campus … a lot of camera access … we can start pinpointing times and going back in and looking at recordings, and seeing if we can find anything that will help our investigation,” Lohrke said.
Along with surveillance cameras, Grube listed electronic locks as another valuable tool in preventing theft. He described the extensive locking system that utilizes students’ U cards to ensure intruders do not enter residential buildings.
“Our security standard is essentially three taps before you get into your room … what that means is … a tap at the front door … a tap to get to the elevator bank and then a tap to get up on the floor,” Grube said.
In addition to these forms of security, Lohrke said the U has prioritized education as a crucial aspect in protecting the belongings of its students. He explained that officers go around campus and teach students about various ways to stop theft, including how to properly secure a bike and register it with Commuter Services. These officers are called Community Oriented Policing Officers.
“We try to put forth a lot of education out front, so then we don’t have to worry about the enforcement and the investigation in the back end,” Lohrke said.
Lohrke suggested students use heavy-duty U locks rather than soft cable locks, which can be easily broken.
“That [using U-locks] has been a big deterrent,” Lohrke said. “It makes it very difficult to steal a bike.”
Although the U has multiple security measures in place, Grube said some of the responsibility is on students as well. He explained the importance of direct communication with university officials to prevent theft, citing the “if you see something … say something” campaign as an ideal example of effective collaboration. The campaign encourages individuals who observe suspicious conduct on campus to contact the appropriate university officials.
“That’s something we want to know and follow up on,” Grube said, when asked about potential intruders in residential buildings.
University Protocol
According to Lohrke, when someone reports an incident of theft, UPD follows a specific procedure to gather as much information about the event as possible.
“Usually what happens is a call comes into our dispatch center. We dispatch an officer or two, depending on the type of crime and what’s going on,” Lohrke said. “We send them out to go talk to the person, preferably in the area where the item was stolen, and we collect basic information.”
Lohrke said officers ask the victim various questions to inquire about details relating to the situation, including the description of the stolen item, the time and location of the occurrence and any potential individuals involved.
“We start trying to pinpoint who it was and when it was in that area,” Lohrke said. “We’ll start the investigation at that point.”
Lohrke said after this procedure is completed, UPD continues their investigation using the information acquired during questioning. He said that if they find a stolen item, they return it to its owner.
In Policy 6-400: Student Rights and Responsibilities, the U outlines the punishment for students who commit theft. The document states these individuals “may be subject to the processes described in this policy, including Sanctions or Informal Resolution Agreements.”
Frequent Challenges
Among the many challenges university officials face when investigating cases of theft, Lohrke listed the lack of reporting as the primary one. He explained that students often do not contact UPD after an incident because they feel their situation is insignificant.
“One of the barriers we face in reporting is ‘Oh, this isn’t a big deal. We don’t want to bother your police,’” Lohrke said.
He said he wants to make students more comfortable when interacting with UPD.
“We want to be able to create that atmosphere and that environment where people just come to us and talk about what’s going on,” Lohrke said.
While reporting is already a significant concern, Lohrke said it is further complicated by the influx of new students every year.
“One of the challenges we have is we get a new batch of students every year, so it’s reeducating … we have new students and new challenges,” Lohrke said.
Grube said that despite all the measures in place to protect students and their belongings, security failures are bound to occur. He explained that while systems like surveillance cameras and electric locks occasionally malfunction, their issues are typically reported due to monitoring and self-reporting mechanisms.
Notable Trends
According to Lohrke, the amount of theft has increased over time, but this does not necessarily mean that more incidents are occurring.
“We have significantly changed our data collection process … so that may look like there’s an increase of crime when, in fact, there’s an increase of us tracking crime and hopefully also an increase of actual reports coming to us,” Lohrke said.
Lohrke also cited the increase in people on campus after the pandemic in 2020 as a contributing factor to the rise in theft.
“As the population increases, the opportunities for crimes also increases … With that said, I would say that even though the numbers show an increase in thefts over the last couple years, based on population, it’s pretty steady,” Lohrke said.
Nevertheless, Lohrke said he would still like to see the amount of theft decrease in the future, as has already been the case with bike theft.
Student Resources
To spread awareness about theft, Lohrke said the U has several outreach programs designed to educate students about different risks and familiarize them with various departments. He cited Coffee with Cops as one of multiple campaigns focused on accomplishing these ends.
The U also has programs to help individuals affected by theft overcome what they have been through. For instance, Crime Victim Advocates are “a team of advocates who are trained and certified to assist victims of crimes.” They are responsible for providing “trauma-informed care” to those who have experienced crime on campus.
As one of its most recent initiatives, Grube said the U is considering establishing a new position within HRE and UPD. He explained that the position would be dedicated to creating a secure environment by listening to students’ questions and concerns.
“It’s a specific officer that we’re going to be looking at: somebody that really does have great communication skills, [a] desire to act [and] is approachable,” Grube said.
