Leaving open doors to empty rooms has classically been a formula for emptied goods as well.
From riffled drawers to purses, stolen televisions to snatched computers, these crimes, called ‘convenience thefts' or ‘opportunity thefts,' are a constant concern on college campuses.
Convenience thefts have dropped considerably in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln residence halls since fall 2009, said Carl Oestmann, director of patrol operations for University Police.
The decrease in theft coincides with a new policy that keeps residence hall entrances electronically locked 24 hours a day, accessible only by residents who scan their NCards.
In the 2009-10 academic year, residence halls saw nine incidences of larceny (theft where a door is left open). This is down 18 percent from 11 incidences in 2008-2009, Oestmann said.
There was only one incident of burglary (theft with forced entry, including opening a shut door), which is down 92 percent from 13 incidents last year. There were also four incidents of trespassing, down 76 percent from 17 incidents.
Campuses make prime targets for convenience theft, which have been on the rise for the last decade, according to Doug Zatechka, UNL's director of housing.
"I don't know many schools which aren't looking at keeping more buildings locked," Zatechka said.
"Students are unusually and unduly trusting. They're good targets, a lot of young people, because they haven't experienced a lot of the negative things in life yet."
The door policy was less a response to any particular spike of convenience theft in recent years and more a general and constant campus security concern.
"I know there were students in the spring of ‘09 who requested more security from me, and some have come back in fall and said ‘Thanks for doing that,'" Zatechka said.
"I think we responded to legitimate concern in a real way."
Yet decreased theft from rooms can't be attributed just to the locked doors, Oestmann said.
"There are also new residence halls now and those may decrease or increase theft a little bit," he said, "And of course you have to ask yourself if there are any other reasons. With more security, are students more aware? Are they quicker to report suspicious persons to front desks or police?"
Still, Oestmann said he hoped that with the advent of locked residence halls and more convenient methods of security as a whole, theft could be deterred.
"Another factor is that many rooms also now lock automatically when they shut," Oestmann said.
"Students aren't able to leave the door unlocked, or even propped open while they take a shower. If doors are kept locked, opportunity crime decreases. So that's what we should see."
iansacks@dailynebraskan.com
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I know that the sex is quite freaky
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