NMU Public Safety officers have begun a new campaign this year to cut down on on-campus theft by placing “Bitten by a Thief” cards on top of unattended valuables in high traffic areas on campus.
Officers have been leaving green notecards on students’ unattended laptops, backpacks and other personal items that state if the officer leaving the card “were a thief, their property would be gone when they return.” These notecards are a humorous reminder that their property could’ve been stolen.
Roughly 72 cards have already been distributed this semester, Lt. Don Peterman, Crime Prevention and Community Policing Specialist, said. The goal of this campaign is to make students aware that most campus thefts are crimes of opportunity and that little adjustments to daily habits can go a long way in keeping your belongings safe.
The idea to create the “Bitten by a Thief” cards came from Peterman’s time in the LRC during his Master’s program.
“I’d see students leaving coats, hats, gloves, books, laptops, cell phones, etc. and leaving the area and later coming back from Starbucks with coffee in hand, or from other places. They would be gone sometimes for ten, fifteen minutes, leaving time for someone to walk off with their property,” he said.
Peterman believes this campaign will reduce crimes of opportunity on campus. Although theft at NMU isn’t seen as a glaring problem by Public Safety, many people don’t always report thefts, making it difficult for policies to be enacted.
Public Safety reminds students to always report thefts and not to leave property unattended.
