Two accounts of theft were reported at the University of Memphis last week. These two add to the growing number of thefts on university property since the beginning of the year.
An unknown suspect stole cash from two students in the locker room of the Athletic Complex on Park Avenue April 14. One day before, a graduate student called police services after noticing his laptop was missing from his backpack.
He said his computer was inside his bag the previous morning in his office he shares with other graduate students.
The number of thefts this year matches with the number from this time last year, Derek Myers, U of M assistant chief of police, said.
“Most of our thefts occur when people leave belongings unattended,” he said.
In 2015, there were 49 reports of theft from buildings on campus. There were 17 burglaries that same year. Prior to these events on April 9, a 19-year-old student reported some clothing and a “Beats speaker” were missing from his room.
The victim lives in Carpenter Complex, and there was no forced entry at the time of the report. On April 8, a student reported his wallet was stolen and “one of his cards had been used without permission off campus.”
A student also reported to have lost her ID on campus April 5. After replacing her card, she found someone had been using her old card when she attempted to purchase something and found insufficient funds.
“The last few stolen campus card cases, they were used at vending machines and not presented to a person,” Myers said. “I know when I’ve used my debit card, they ask for my ID at campus facilities, so the ID card should be no different.”
At the U of M, students and faculty are only allowed to possess one campus card at any time. All students enrolled are required to have a campus card made.
“I checked with Aramark, and they do train the cashiers to look at the ID when it’s presented,” Myers said. “People should also not loan their ID to anyone, which we’ve run into on occasion.”
Aramark is a branch of the Eating Places industry that has employees within Tiger Dining at the U of M. All students are asked to present employees with their ID upon the purchase of food venues on campus.
Student IDs hold Dining Dollars and Tiger Funds, which can be used to eat on campus. Tiger Funds are available at some off campus restaurants as well.
