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By Tom Collins
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 25, 1996
Despite a decline in 1995, theft continues to be the top crime at the UA.
"This a great shopping center for the outside community to come and get computers, bicycles and money," University of Arizona Police Lt. Brian Seastone said.
There were 563 thefts in 1995 down from 668 in 1994, according to UAPD statistics.
The decrease, Seastone said, can be attributed to students becoming more aware and pro-active in the protection of their possessions, calling police to report suspicious activity, and to the arrests that UAPD has made.
Burglary is the conscious removal of material from buildings, Seastone said, but contrary to many student and parent opinions, the UA residence halls are not the most often hit.
Most burglaries of residence halls involve laundry or smaller items taken when a door is left unlocked, for example, Seastone said. He said offices around campus are most often burglarized for high value items.
Through August 1996, there have been 105 burglaries throughout campus, and 511 thefts, including bicycle thefts, Seastone said.
In 1995 there were 267 bicycle thefts on campus down from 399 in 1994, according to UAPD statistics.
Seastone said that bicycles are stolen with no regard to their value and that UAPD recommends a U-lock. He said cable locks are easier to cut through.
He also recommended that students use bike racks on campus to prevent a person from carrying off their bicycles.
Students can register their bicycles with the parking transportation department to make it easier to track them, he said.
The number of car thefts on the UA campus increased from 66 in 1994 to 79 in 1995, up from just 36 in 1993, according to statistics from UAPD .
"In the last three years Pima County has seen a big increase in auto thefts," Seastone said.
Although the county was seeing many General Motors Corp. products disappear, no such trend has been identified at the university, Seastone said.
In 1995 there was an increase in reports of both drug and alcohol violations, however there were corresponding arrests, according to UAPD statistics.
Seastone said the increase does not mark an increase in use, but a vigilance in attacking the problem. Also, he said, more students are reporting other students in violation.
It is community help that allows the UAPD to be a successful police force, he said.
"There are approximately 50,000 people on campus, which gives us additional eyes and ears," Seastone said.
Awareness is the key to avoid being victimized, he said.
"Crime does not know the boundaries of an educational institution."
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