Rooms entered, items stolen in Turner break-in
Taylor Chin
Issue date: 1/21/10 Section: News
Two iPods and jewelry were stolen from one room and items were found moved and rummaged through in two other Turner Residence Hall ground level rooms on Sunday, Jan. 10. This incident was discovered around noon the day that Poets were allowed to return to their dorms after Winter Break.
"My roommate and I came back and our room was trashed and a couple of things were stolen," sophomore Kady Oliker, who noticed the disturbance when she entered her room, said. "We just felt kind of violated. People had slept in our beds."
This followed an incident earlier during the break where a key to the exterior door locks, which are changed for the break, was discovered missing from WaTurBall Area Coordinator Andel Fils-Aime's office at 8 p.m. on Dec. 29. There are currently no suspects for either crime.
The Whittier Police Department recorded the room entry incidents as burglary, in the case of the stolen iPods, and suspicious activity for the other two rooms where objects were disturbed. Oliker estimates the value of the stolen iPods and jewelry to be around $500. There was no sign of forced entry from the windows or doors. Later that day, all three rooms were re-keyed, and Campus Safety investigated other ground level rooms in Turner for compromised or open windows.
"When there was a question about the security of the rooms, we changed the locks as a precaution," Assistant Chief of Campus Safety John Lewis said.
Campus Safety also secured the locks of the Turner Residence Hall by breaking off keys in all the exterior doors to prevent a key from being inserted into the keyholes after the "holiday key" was discovered missing when a window to Fils-Aime's office was found open.
"We took direct action to remedy the problem," Lewis said.
The following day, the key was found on the ground, and according to Lewis, the key is "difficult to duplicate," because of the key design and the phrase "Duplication Prohibited" etched into the key.
"We are trying to be more visible in Turner and trying to promote peace of mind," Lewis said.
Students have shown concern about a possible recurrence while in the dorms or over future breaks. "My roommate and I have been afraid in the room by ourselves," Oliker said. She also stated, "We're just afraid that it might happen again over Spring Break or any break."
After the incident, according to Fils-Aime, there have been meetings between Campus Safety and Residential Life. They are considering cameras, keycards, and other methods of securing the residence halls.
"We want to make sure our students are safe," Residential Life Director Delaphine Hudson said. "We're working with our facilities people to make sure all our screens are secured."
Lewis also encourages students to call Campus Safety if they notice suspicious or questionable individuals within the dormitories.
"My roommate and I came back and our room was trashed and a couple of things were stolen," sophomore Kady Oliker, who noticed the disturbance when she entered her room, said. "We just felt kind of violated. People had slept in our beds."
This followed an incident earlier during the break where a key to the exterior door locks, which are changed for the break, was discovered missing from WaTurBall Area Coordinator Andel Fils-Aime's office at 8 p.m. on Dec. 29. There are currently no suspects for either crime.
The Whittier Police Department recorded the room entry incidents as burglary, in the case of the stolen iPods, and suspicious activity for the other two rooms where objects were disturbed. Oliker estimates the value of the stolen iPods and jewelry to be around $500. There was no sign of forced entry from the windows or doors. Later that day, all three rooms were re-keyed, and Campus Safety investigated other ground level rooms in Turner for compromised or open windows.
"When there was a question about the security of the rooms, we changed the locks as a precaution," Assistant Chief of Campus Safety John Lewis said.
Campus Safety also secured the locks of the Turner Residence Hall by breaking off keys in all the exterior doors to prevent a key from being inserted into the keyholes after the "holiday key" was discovered missing when a window to Fils-Aime's office was found open.
"We took direct action to remedy the problem," Lewis said.
The following day, the key was found on the ground, and according to Lewis, the key is "difficult to duplicate," because of the key design and the phrase "Duplication Prohibited" etched into the key.
"We are trying to be more visible in Turner and trying to promote peace of mind," Lewis said.
Students have shown concern about a possible recurrence while in the dorms or over future breaks. "My roommate and I have been afraid in the room by ourselves," Oliker said. She also stated, "We're just afraid that it might happen again over Spring Break or any break."
After the incident, according to Fils-Aime, there have been meetings between Campus Safety and Residential Life. They are considering cameras, keycards, and other methods of securing the residence halls.
"We want to make sure our students are safe," Residential Life Director Delaphine Hudson said. "We're working with our facilities people to make sure all our screens are secured."
Lewis also encourages students to call Campus Safety if they notice suspicious or questionable individuals within the dormitories.
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