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Public Safety Will Protect You From Yourself Whether You Like it or Not
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Through the grapevine, Bwog has been hearing rumors that in attempts to safeguard against theft, Public Safety has plans to begin taking unattended laptops in Butler. Oddly enough, this is one rumor that turned out to be kind of true, in a vague, quasi-benevolent way.

Ricky Morales, Crimes Prevention Manager at Public Safety clarified: "It's not just that we go over there and we take it. It's a whole educational process." According to Morales, Public Safety has been meeting with members of the University Senate and library security to design a process of reminders and education/awareness about property theft that culminates with a possible meta-theft. Explains Morales, Public Safety is "not taking [unattended property], but safeguarding it from people." In other words: thieving the property to protect it from thieves.

- JNW

Read more: *jnw, Butler, Computers, Meta-theft, Public Safety

February 27, 2008 @ 1:18 PM | Comments 12 comments | Add comment Post a comment | Link to this article | | Email this post | Share on Facebook

Posted by alexw: [#1] [reply] [track]
( posted February 27, 2008 at 1:33 PM ) (from campus)
The next time you see a security guard snoozing in Butler, take a picture.
Posted by and: [#2] [reply] [track]
( posted February 27, 2008 at 2:18 PM ) (from campus)
if you lock your laptop and leave, they'll just cut the lock and take it...
Posted by public safety: [#3] [reply] [track]
( posted February 27, 2008 at 2:42 PM ) (from campus)
Does the same thing with bikes. They'll break your lock, take your bike, and make you pay for a new lock.
Posted by hrm: [#4] [reply] [track]
( posted February 27, 2008 at 2:47 PM ) (from campus)
I never did understand people who leave their laptops unattended in Butler. I might leave my coat or books, but if I have to go to the bathroom or get coffee or make a call, my laptop, iPod, cellphone, and wallet come with me. It's a pain in the ass, but less of a pain in the ass than replacing any of those items would be.
Posted by EAL: [#5] [reply] [track] (in reply to #4)
( posted February 27, 2008 at 3:16 PM ) (from campus)
Wait, you take your laptop with you to the bathroom? That seems like a little much. I usually leave mine at my desk if I need to go to the stacks or be away from my desk for more than a few minutes. Yeah, the risk is there, but I ask anyone working next to me to watch it and then reciprocate the favor when they need to get up.

The new policy sucks, but on the positive side, it will crack down on the permanent Butler residents -those that leave their laptops and other household amenities unattended for days at a time- and allow others to use their valuable library real estate.
Posted by camperhater: [#6] [reply] [track]
( posted February 27, 2008 at 3:54 PM ) (from campus)
destroy the campers!
Posted by you know: [#7] [reply] [track] (in reply to #4)
( posted February 27, 2008 at 4:49 PM ) (from campus)
there is such a thing as being too careful, where the costs of taking the precautions outweigh the benefits. do you take your car to the shop and get your engine checked every time you drive to the grocery store?
Posted by Butler: [#8] [reply] [track]
( posted February 27, 2008 at 5:55 PM )
Perhaps they could give the laptops away as raffle prizes for completing surveys, instead of ipods.
Posted by hrm: [#9] [reply] [track] (in reply to #7)
( posted February 27, 2008 at 6:32 PM ) (from campus)
That example doesn't really make sense in this context. Car repair is a degenerative problem, whereas it only takes about a minute to steal a laptop. It doesn't matter whether that one minute is one of five (going to the bathroom) or one minute out of several hours. The thief isn't going to stop you on your way out and ask how long you think you'll be gone.

Maybe it's just because I carry around a bag large enough to hold all these items so sweeping them up and carrying them with me isn't exactly arduous, but to break out the old cliché, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Posted by admins: [#10] [reply] [track] (in reply to #8)
( posted February 27, 2008 at 10:07 PM ) (from campus)
thats a great idea b/c then we'll be able to spend even less money on you scum undergrads. all laptops in butler are free game from now on- so turn in those surveys, the laptop you win may be your own
Posted by new excuse: [#11] [reply] [track]
( posted February 28, 2008 at 3:13 AM ) (from campus)
next time someone confronts me for stealing their laptop in butler i'll just say that i'm a plainclothes public safety officer. brilliant.

what's that? where's my badge? oh i left it in my car, you know, the one parked on COLLEGE WALK
Posted by sorry to be a douche: [#12] [reply] [track]
( posted February 28, 2008 at 5:01 AM )
but...you can't have a meta-theft, i.e. a theft about a theft. You can have a benevolent theft, or a counter -theft, or a preemptive theft, but not a meta-theft.

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