An effort by Notre Dame Security/Police to forewarn students about possible larceny during finals week and winter break helped thwart some crime, but instances of theft were still reported, NDSP assistant director Phillip Johnson said. Alumni Hall in particular experienced a string of crimes before and during finals week, he said. Two instances of theft were reported Dec. 11 when wallets were stolen from different unlocked dorm rooms.Four days later, a credit card was taken from a public space and fraudulently used, Johnson said. He could not confirm a relationship between the incidents. On-campus crimes like these could have been avoided if the students locked the door when not in room, Johnson said."While locking the door while not in the room is counter to what many typical students do, we did experience theft inside residence halls," Johnson said.As in past years, incidents of larceny in the dining hall areas were also reported during the last week of the semester. Backpacks were stolen on two separate occasions from both North and South dining halls Dec. 12 and Dec. 14. Both were recovered with items missing.Off-campus theft also occurred, with four break-ins reported, Johnson said. NDSP was unable to elaborate on the specifics of these crimes, he said, but affirmed that the crimes did not occur at the major off-campus housing complexes Turtle Creek, College Park or Castle Point.Johnson said that break-ins might have been prevented if more off-campus students had taken advantage of the storage space granted by NDSP. "Only a handful of students took advantage of the opportunity provided by NDSP to store their belongings in a secure location," Johnson said.Few students adhered to storage suggestions provided by NDSP in their pre-winter break memo. Conversely, a number of students made use of the secured D2 South parking lot, said Johnson. No on-campus car break-ins were reported to NDSP over winter break. Other recommendations given by NDSP also caused students to be more vigilant before, during and after final exam week, he said."I think that the information sent out had an influence on the low number of opportunistic crimes on campus this year," Johnson said. "In the future NDSP will continue to draw attention to times when students might be vulnerable."
