Larceny: ECU's number one crime

Larceny, or theft, occurs indifferently on a college campus, usually perpetrated by young male offenders, like David Ray Harvell in the recent Clement Hall larceny case. Harvell and his accomplices blend in with the general student population, making them difficult to discern from actual students. Moreover, with laptops, cell phones and mp3 players more common in the educational environment, college students, who may be away from home for the first time, are good targets.

Sgt. D.G. Stormer of the ECU Police Department says, "The number one crime on campus is larceny." Stormer defines larceny as "the illegal taking and carrying away of personal property belonging to another with the purpose of depriving the owner of its possession."

She offers that most students are on their own for the first time in their lives. While at home, their parents handled many of the safety issues of daily life and many students are not yet acclimated to life on their own.

"The once known safe haven of our parents' home becomes a thing of the past and college living is a new beginning," said Stormer.

Larcenists prey on the innocence of the average student, depending strongly on carelessness. They hang out in public places, looking like a part of the general student population while waiting for someone to leave their possessions unguarded.

ECU Police statistics show that most larcenies occur at public places where there are likely to be large numbers of people, such as Joyner Library and the Recreation Center. These public locations provide larcenists with many targets to choose from as well as a chance to blend into the crowds with stolen goods. The statistics also show that these crimes increase greatly at the close of the semester, in April.

Larcenies at the university also appear widely distributed. These crimes occur in classroom buildings, bookstores, outside waiting areas, as well as the library and recreation center. Anywhere that a student with valuable possessions may be found can be a potential target for the larcenist.

Stormer warns that the Recreation Center dressing rooms are good locations for larcenists. One student at the Recreation Center stated, "There's lots of lockers … just pick one. You don't need a lock." This is a serious mistake.

"(The) majority of larcenies that take place are due to items being left unsecure," says Stormer. A thief can wait in the locker room to see which locker a student uses. Even if they don't see which locker the student chose, they have nothing else to do but to open them all.

Many times, a student won't even know they've become a victim until much later. Larcenists often steal credit cards instead of the whole wallet. By the time the card is discovered as missing, unknown charges have racked up.

While the Recreation Center is a larceny hot spot on the ECU campus, any time and any public location is fair game for thieves. ECU is a busy environment with open access to the public. While this educational freedom is important, it also allows potential larcenists free access to the campus.

Most larcenists on this campus resemble the average student.

To illustrate, earlier this month, three young men were arrested and charged with the theft of a laptop computer from a female student living in Clement Hall on the ECU campus, an incident that occurred earlier in March. Their faces, caught on security cameras posted at strategic points within the building, gave police the definitive evidence they needed to make the arrests.

Police statistics demonstrate that ECU dormitories are remarkably safe in comparison with other campus locations.

While this incident does not represent the average larceny on the ECU campus, details of the young men arrested in this case provide a unique opportunity to describe the average larcenist.

Havelock Police records show that David Ray Harvell and Warren James Ford, Jr., two of the three men arrested in conjunction with the laptop larceny from Clement Hall, are repeat offenders. No violent crimes have yet been attributed to them. However, Ford has been charged three times since November 2008 with other larceny charges. The other men show similar tendencies.

Another commonality is age. All three of these men are college-age, ranging from 18 to 21 years old.

An observant student might notice someone without a bookbag, notebook or anything else that would indicate a student at work, especially while in the library.

At the Recreation Center, a person hanging out in the locker room who is not wearing shorts or workout clothing offers suspicion. Still, there are also students in these locations who fit these descriptions but are not necessarily larcenists.

Potential larcenists simply cannot be identified accurately. Whether or not any student becomes a victim of larceny largely depends on that student being aware of their surroundings and their possessions.

Develop the habit of always keeping an eye on your computer and especially your phone -- small devices that are stolen casually and hidden easily.

A student on an online ECU bulletin board warns to "always watch your belongings. You may think that you are around people that wouldn't steal but you never know." A little effort can go a long way.

Report crimes or suspicious activity to ECU Police Crime Tip Line at (252) 737-8477 or the online report feature of the ECU Police Department at ecu.edu/studentlife/police/report_crime.cfm.

These writers can be contacted at tecnewseditor@gmail.com.