Minor says most res. hall thefts avoidable

By Jewels Phraner

Published Nov. 2, 2007

Despite five residence hall thefts this year, Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said he doesn't think there is an established trend.

"Some thefts are pretty common," Minor said.

Larceny is the most common crime on campus, MU Police Capt. Brian Weimer said.

Twenty-one thefts occurred in residence halls on the MU campus during the 2006-2007 school year.

Despite the common occurrence of theft, most crimes are preventable, Minor said.

"Thefts typically occur in unlocked rooms or with unattended items," Minor said. "If students lock their doors or pay a little more attention to their personal belongings, most of these crimes won't occur."

Minor said in his 13 years as residence hall coordinator, he has only known of one forced entry to a residence hall room.

The most recent theft occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Gillett residence hall.

The room was left unlocked, and several items were stolen including $80 in cash, an iPod, an additional digital media player and two bottles of prescription pills.

This theft is still under investigation by campus police.

Minor said the Department of Residential Life is working to install security cameras in the residence halls.

"We've met with the residence hall governments of Hatch Hall and McDavid Hall, and cameras should be installed this semester," Minor said.

The cameras will be installed in public areas on main floors, which might not help with theft from individuals' rooms, Minor said.

"We don't have an exact timeline in place, but we are moving forward with the plan," Minor said.