Henri Pierre-Jacques said he thought he had been careful.
The Weinberg freshman had locked his valuables while he worked out at the Sports Pavilion and Aquatics Center earlier this quarter, he said.
When he went back to his locker, about $20, a watch and a phone were taken, but a laptop and wallet were left behind, Pierre-Jacques said.
“The University is not responsible for lost or stolen property,” University Police Deputy Chief Daniel McAleer said.
Even if the items are under lock and key, students cannot get reimbursed.
“The best remedy is not to bring in your stuff in the first place,” said Betty Scott, SPAC’s director of operations. “They should never bring in valuables. They should never, ever, ever leave any bags in the gym area where there’s been theft.”
After the incident, Pierre-Jacques said a student worker told him a report could be filed with UP. He had to study for a midterm exam so it didn’t seem worthwhile to waste time with the report, he said.
“There weren’t any cameras or anything so I felt like it was a waste of time,” Pierre-Jacques said.
Scott said the gym offers students several options to protect their items, including two locations of lock boxes for which students receive free tokens. In the lobby, items are also under the watch of gym attendants.
Students can also check out free locks at the gym in exchange for leaving identification as collateral.
Pierre-Jacques said since the theft several weeks ago, he doesn’t bring much with him to the gym apart from his WildCARD, phone and keys. He now keeps his things with him.Items are most often stolen on the gym floor, Scott said. She said she hadn’t heard of things stolen when they were locked up.
“Sometimes people think they have it locked,” Scott said. “Sometimes they lock the wrong locker.”
Pierre-Jacques said the gym should do more to protect students and publicize thefts.
“(The attendant) told me two people got their stuff stolen that same week,” he said. “I would’ve more likely not put my stuff in the locker. I thought it was unfair for them not to have a sign warning people.”
Scott said theft is uncommon.
“There’s not a trend,” she said. “It happens periodically. In fact there’s been less cases of theft in the last year.”
But there have been about five or six thefts over the past six weeks, McAleer said.After a report is filed, UP gather information on the circumstances, he said. A benefit of locking items is physical evidence can be retrieved.
McAleer said the force hasn’t had success finding thieves recently but has in the past.Certain items are easier to find than others, he said. Credit cards can be tracked, and UP can check area pawn shops for certain items.
Pierre-Jacques said Northwestern could be more active in preventing thefts by securing gym entrances. He said he knows of side entrances at Blomquist Recreation Center where people can enter without swiping.
It’s not difficult to prevent theft, Scott said.
“It’s common sense,” she said. “Don’t leave your valuables unattended.”[email protected]
