Although official numbers have not yet been released, Marquette's Department of Public Safety said some offenses, especially those relating to cars, have decreased this semester, but burglary has not.

Auto theft, theft from auto and vandalism to autos have decreased significantly in past semesters, but reported burglaries have increased more than any other offense, according to Capt. Russ Shaw, associate director of DPS.

Earlier in the semester, a wave of iPod thefts swept primarily through South and O'Donnell halls. More recently, the past two weeks have seen a series of laptop snatchings, the majority of which took place in Schroeder Hall.

"This is a concern of ours and something we'd like to remedy," Shaw said. The residence hall thefts are internal and almost all of the cases occurred when students left their rooms unsecured and unattended.

"The bottom line is we need students to help us by securing their rooms when they leave them," Shaw said.

DPS has taken steps to make students aware of the need to lock their room doors recently by sending out a safety alert e-mail and by hosting a safety seminar in the beginning of the year.

However, reported crimes decreased the most in three areas: auto theft, theft from auto and vandalism to auto. From 2003 to 2004, the number of reported incidents of auto theft decreased from 17 case to five. Although the numbers for 2005 have not yet been released, there has not been a surge in auto theft incidents reported this semester.

This decrease is credited both to the use of the new parking structure on West Wells Street and to the extra manpower the university has allotted DPS in the past few years, Shaw said.

The semester also came with a string of unique reports, such as the toilet paper thief.

More than 15 instances of toilet paper theft occurred over the course of the semester. This spurred an investigation by DPS, Shaw said, but nothing became of the investigation because the thefts stopped as soon as it kicked off.

Near the tail end of the semester was an increase in vending machine break-ins. Just recently, an investigation by DPS began but has so far been inconclusive.

Perhaps what has stood out to students the most are the recent string of party busts, including two more parties this weekend. While MPD may have increased its patrols in the Marquette area, Shaw said DPS has not changed their method of handling parties.

"We've not changed our stance on how we handle parties," Shaw said. "We tell people to shut them down or get them to a manageable size," if they get out of hand, he said.

This summer, the amount of LIMOs in action will decrease to match the decrease in student population on campus. There will be no change in the amount of manpower or personnel who work in the summer, however.

Shaw also confirmed that no weapons were drawn by DPS officers to handle situations this school year. This is the fourth year DPS officers have been allowed to be armed, but no need to use weapons has ever arisen.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on May 5 2005.