 "Photo: Jacqueline Gilles/The Daily Texan")
UT Police Department officials say they are alarmed by an increase in the number of thefts at Gregory Gym.
Between January and April, according to the latest data collected, UTPD has registered 24 thefts from the entire gym complex, including the gym’s bathrooms and locker rooms.
Of that number, 21 thefts took place in the gymnasium, the basketball court and indoor track area, said UTPD Officer William Pieper, who works in the crime prevention unit.
UTPD registered 27 thefts from the gymnasium in 2007 and 23 in 2008. The number of thefts already registered since the start of the year suggests there might be a rise in gymnasium thefts, Pieper said.
“It’s on pace to be an increase,” Pieper said. “In a four-month period, we’ve had 21 [thefts], and that doesn’t include those that we’ve had since April.”
In May, one case was reported in which a female student’s iPod was stolen from the women’s locker room. In June, three more thefts were reported to UTPD. In two of those cases, cash was taken from secured lockers in the gym’s locker rooms using a technique to break open combination locks UTPD officers call “rapping,” which involves putting a small amount of torque on a specially modified key while hitting the bottom of the lock with a blunt object.
Pieper said combination locks can be defeated using relatively simple methods. Locks can be forced open by hitting the lock in a specific way or by inserting a system to disable the notches within the lock that secure it closed. He said he has seen videos online that outline how to break open a lock by opening an aluminum soda can and folding the metal in a particular fashion to break open the hook securing the lock.
The four added thefts raise the total of reported incidents to 28, which is one more than the total thefts reported in 2007. Pieper said there are no suspects, and UTPD crime statistics suggest the department has no leads.
“Sadly, we wouldn’t know anything until we apprehend the suspect,” Pieper said. “Usually, it’s the same person committing the same crime over and over again until they get caught. Theft is much more common, especially in the gym, and the biggest reason for that is because people leave their belongings unattended.”
Pieper said he knows many of thefts take place around the basketball and indoor track areas. He said he also noticed thefts have taken place inside the locker room and weight rooms.
“We always have a reason for alarm,” Pieper said. “It’s something we want the gym patrons to be aware of. The thing we want people to do is not leave their property unattended.”
Eric Darsey, Asian cultures and languages junior, said he is not worried about having his things taken from the Gregory Gym, deciding instead to keep his backpack on the floor by the bleachers. He said although he has heard friends’ accounts of having things stolen from them, he does not consider using the gym’s lockers.
Darsey said he does not use the lockers because students have to pay to use them and going out of his way to lock his belongings is inconvenient.
Jennifer Speer, associate director with RecSports, said the responsibility of safeguarding student property ultimately falls on the students themselves, and gym staff have put in place security measures to protect patrons’ property — something Speer said she sees students ignore.
The gym has signs reminding students to secure their belongings, security cameras to deter thefts and also offers coin-operated lockers. Speer said most of the gym’s thefts occur when students leave their belongings unattended.
“We are trying our best to educate students,” Speer said. “I think the students are naive. They think campus is safe.”
Manzure Mawla, a non-degree seeker in the School of Business, said he has been going to the gym for five years and has never had his belongings taken.
Mawla said he probably would reconsider bringing certain items to the gym like his iPod if he were only using the gym to play basketball, but overall he has never had any reason for concern for his backpack or other belongings.
“In my mind, it’s never been out of sight,” Mawla said. “I know where my bag is. I guess it’s the fact that it’s never been taken before.”
8 comments
see a dramatic decrease in thefts.