Larceny reports on the rise

Incidents of larceny increased in and around the OU campus between 2008 and 2009, according to the police.

OUPD received 229 reports of larceny in 2008 and, as a result of police investigations into those larceny cases, nine arrests were made, said Lt. Bruce Chan, OUPD spokesman.

In 2009 OUPD received 305 reports of larceny and investigations into those cases resulted in 20 arrests, Chan said.

He said there have been 33 larcenies reported this year.

“This is the same number as those reported to this date in 2009,” Chan said.

In the city of Norman, 2,644 incidents of larceny were reported in 2008, said Jennifer Newell, Norman Police Department spokeswoman.

In 2009 there were 3,077 incidents of larceny reported, she said.

“We did have an increase,” Newell said. “Not that we’re excited about that.”

An act of larceny takes place when a person has a right to be at a location, but that person chooses to take something that does not belong to them, she said.

Sooner Mall has been the location of several incidents of larceny this year, including an incident in which two OU basketball players, Steven Pledger and Andrew Fitzgerald, were cited and released on petty larceny charges, according to police reports.

Sooner Mall officials declined to comment for this story, citing security concerns.

Typical examples of larceny are when someone steals an unattended backpack, textbook, laptop computer or cellular phone, Chan said.

“The best way to prevent this sort of theft is to always keep your property locked or with you. Don’t leave it behind even for just a moment,” he said.

The Huston Huffman Center has been the location of several incidents this year, according to police reports.

At the center, there are many ways that crimes of opportunity can be avoided, said Amy Davenport, director of recreations services.

“Members should avoid leaving cell phones, wallets, MP3 players and other items of value unattended,” she said.

Davenport said visitors to the center should ensure items of value remain with the owner at all times or they should be left in a secure location, such as in a locked locker.

Lockers can be rented for the semester for a minimal charge, and coin lockers are also available on a daily basis, she said.

Often, Norman police officers see larceny incidents in which people had purses, laptops and backpacks stolen from their cars, Newell said.

“When people see purses, they figure there is going to be a wallet, credit cards and things like that in there that they can take and use immediately,” Newell said.

Do not leave anything in a car you would not want to lose, she said.

Casey Wilson

Casey is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Staff Writer, Multimedia Reporter and Police/Crime Beat Reporter.