Posted on: Wednesday, March 20, 2002

Vigilance urged in wake of UH thefts

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i campus security and the Honolulu Police Department are searching for people responsible for a series of office burglaries on the Manoa campus during the past two weekends.

The break-ins started the night of March 8 and resumed over the past weekend with burglars stealing computers, cash and personal items, said Donald Dawson, UH security officer.

The break-ins were reported at Edmondson, Saunders, Gartley and Dean halls, as well as the music complex, the College of Business Administration, Gateway Cafeteria and the campus barbershop at Hemenway Hall.

"We are urging everyone to be vigilant, especially after dark, and to report anything suspicious that they may see on campus," Dawson said. "This is not a case of people being careless about locking offices or leaving things out in the open to tempt thieves."

Dawson said all the burglaries involved forc-ed entry.

"They happened at times when the campus was virtually empty, so that no one was threatened or injured in any of the incidents," Dawson said.

Dawson said security personnel have been reallocated to cover a broader area of the campus overnight.

"These incidents have been virtually from one end of the campus to the other," Dawson said. "It's not possible for our officers to be everywhere all the time. Shifting staff to specific areas necessarily means that other areas may not be covered as well."

Campus security can be reached at 956-8211; for emergencies, call 956-6911. Immediate access to security is available by picking up the handset at campus "blue light" security call boxes.