By MEGAN STUDDARD
News Editor
Piedmont students are reminded to keep their belongings safe after a spring break theft on campus.
According to campus police, a television was stolen from a Swanson Hall dorm room on Mar. 4. The stolen property was not recovered, but was replaced.
The thieves were Piedmont students and have since been dismissed from the college. Campus police were not able to release the names of the students due to privacy concerns. No legal action was taken.
Campus Police Chief Dick Martin recommended several practical ways for students to prevent future thefts on campus.
In addition to locking doors and stowing valuables out of sight, Martin said that being able to identify property is key in a theft case.
“One thing that happens when somebody gets something stolen is that they have no way to identify it,” said Martin. “We’ve actually held something stolen in our hands but the student had no way to claim it.”
In order to be able to identify stolen property, Martin said, “Keep the paperwork and get an engraver to put your name on electronics.”
Martin said even textbooks could be targets for thieves. According to Martin, many students overlook being able to identify a book.
“One student I talked to said she has one page where she makes a mark or highlight on. She could always tell if it was her book because it had a mark on a certain page,” he said.
Martin also suggested using a smartphone to document valuable items. There are several smartphone applications for both Apple and Andriod devices for inventorying possessions.
MyHome Scr.APP.Book, a free app developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), lets users quickly photograph items and enter barcodes and serial numbers. The app stores all of the information and can create a backup PDF file for sharing. MyHome Scr.APP.Book is available on iTunes and Google Play.
Students can also register their possessions online by setting up a free account with Immobilize.net. Much like the MyHome app, the site allows members to upload critical information about their belongings, including photos, receipts and more. Through Immobilize, members can immediately alert police through their account.
According to Immobilize, the top most wanted items by thieves include portable computing devices, smartphones, cash, jewelry, bicycles and home entertainment systems.