Safety concerns at WPI

For being so close to downtown Worcester, WPI experiences a comfortable degree of safety, especially on the campus grounds. Most students at WPI feel perfectly safe walking across campus in the dead of night, something students at Becker and Clark can not claim themselves. Even so, WPI is not exactly a heavenly sanctuary in terms of safety.

One issue that gets students on edge is vandalism in the parking lots. Throughout the years, there have been odd break-ins here and there, wherein vandals break into a vehicle and pillage its contents. Over the last several months, vandalism and theft in the parking areas has peaked, prompting an investigation.

John J. Hanlon, WPI's chief of police and public safety director, acknowledged that criminal activity in the lots was up this year, and that they recognized the problem. However, Hanlon was quick to point out that "cars are rarely stolen around here." Additionally, WPI's car break-in ratio has a direct correlation with the city's vehicle crimes; "It's not just here… The whole city experiences it." According to police data, in 1999 and 2000, there were 8 break-ins each year on or near WPI's campus.

When asked as to who may be responsible for the recent string of violations, Hanlon said that it's a solid bet that a gang element in the city is responsible for the crimes. When questioned on the possibility of WPI students being responsible, Hanlon replied, "I would be really surprised, because the MO [method of operation] in most of these cases is consistent with the vehicle break-ins that have occurred in other sections of the city, as well."

So what exactly goes on when a car gets broken into? Typically, a round metal ball is thrown into the car through a window. This shatters the window, allowing the thief to enter at his leisure. After that, they take apart the center console and remove the radio or CD player. They also take other items of value, including CD's, portable electronics, speakers, and money.

Talking about the vandals' tactics, Hanlon commented, "They're good. The tools they use get them in and out very quickly." According to police observations, the vandals typically scout out the parking lot a day or so ahead of time to pick their target. This usually involves a person walking through the lot, while friends wait nearby with a getaway car. For this reason, the thieves prefer to strike on overnight lots such as Stoddard and Founders. Once night falls, they carry out their bust, quickly and effectively.

When asked what was being done to remedy the situation, Chief Hanlon said that the police patrol the lots, day and night. Any suspicious people or cars found loitering around the lots are stopped and interrogated. Usually, says Hanlon, this is enough to scare them away to another part of the city, since they've been seen by the police at WPI.

Nevertheless, the police just can't stop theives by themselves. Chief Hanlon advises that students learn to recognize the signs of a suspicious person. A kid walking through a parking lot may not be a big deal, but in truth, if he doesn't go to WPI, he may be searching for prey. WPI students need to learn how to recognize these people and notify the police of their presence so they can prepare a defense. Additionally, any students witnessing a car suspiciously loitering near the lots should take down its plates and contact Campus Police quickly so they can run the number through their system. "The best way to protect our property is to stop these guys before they strike. If a student notifies us of suspicious activity, we'll check it out. We'll be happy to do this."

It is the belief of the WPI police that if the entire WPI community works together to watch out for each other, the gangs will give up on WPI and look for other places to raid.