Students complain about thefts

Norwich students have experienced automobile break-ins in the parking lots on campus in addition to other thefts such as lap top computers this semester.

While some of the stolen items have been recovered there are still missing items.

"The majority of break-ins were at the cars at the school and we know for a fact that they actually stole a car, and we have recovered the car. I suspect there are people who have not discovered that their GPS's are missing," said Chief Jeffery L. Shaw of the Northfield Police Department.

There were three or four GPS units recovered by the police. However, only one has been returned, according to Chief Shaw.

"If you find that you are missing a GPS, contact us and we can take it from there," said Shaw.

Three local juveniles were responsible for the auto break-ins, and due to their ages their names will not be released, according to Shaw.

"We have taken a few reports on laptops that have been stolen at Norwich, we are still working on those. There is some evidence that I can't bring out at this point, and [we're] waiting for some particular things to happen," said Shaw.

There have also been several cases of theft in the Northfield area.

"We have actually had four burglaries in town, one just the other day where over $5,000 in cash was taken. So we have been kept pretty busy," said Shaw.

The Northfield Police has complete jurisdiction of the Norwich campus.

"We are the law enforcement of the community that covers if you have someone whose car is broken into, if there is an assault case or sexual assault case, we are the ones that should be called. We should be the first ones to be called; we are the ones that investigate it, we are the ones that make the arrest and do everything that needs to be done," said Shaw.

The Northfield Police works closely with Norwich Security, but a lot of times, the students call security when they should be calling the police, according to Shaw.

"Security does a very fine job for Norwich but they are not police officers, they don't carry guns, they don't have any way of protecting themselves. We on the other hand do have guns and the training to react to whatever may take place," said Shaw.

There are a lot of car burglaries in the surrounding areas including Montpelier and Barre, according to Shaw.

"All over has been hit hard. Don't keep anything in plain view and don't leave anything of great value in your car," said Shaw.

Students, aware of the theft issues, are locking their doors.

"People have already had stuff stolen so I would rather lock my door," said Nick Bazdanes, 18, a freshman business management major from Gloucester, Mass. "I do not trust anybody, that is why I lock my door."

Matt Hebert, 18, a freshman computer security major from Merrimack, N.H., suggested that security cameras should be placed around campus and in dorm buildings as added security. The cameras would intimidate thieves and possibly make them think twice before stealing anything.

Students point out that South Hall dorm doors can be opened with any type of card, such as credit cards or ID cards.

"Get better doors so you cannot card in," Hebert said. He said students who have been locked out of their own dorm room have used a system known as ‘carding in.'

Hebert said a major factor in theft includes carding in to the rooms and a solution to this problem would be to replace the existing doors with new ones.