Spring Break
Larceny: ECU's number one crime
Katherine White and Baylus Brooks
Issue date: 6/17/09 Section: News
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.
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.
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Deb
posted 6/22/09 @ 12:13 PM EST
The writers take on an important topic. But they could have dug deeper.
For example, the N.C. Department of Justice's Web site offers a database of crime statistics for each city, county and university in the state. (Continued…)
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