A string of wallet thefts dating back to July 1, in which a total of 17 thefts have been reported in various locations on campus, including three more thefts occurring in the past week, according to Sgt. Stephen Baret of Crime Prevention and Victim Services.

The three most recent wallet thefts occurred on Sept. 19 between 2:14 p.m. and 3:32 p.m.

A campus-wide email was sent to students, faculty and staff on Wednesday to alert them of the series of wallet thefts. Since the email alert, two additional thefts were reported in Ruffatto and University Hall.

According to Baret, incidents tend to occur in offices that are left unoccupied and vulnerable, some only momentarily.

According to the Department of Campus Safety Daily Crime Log Report, the thefts have occurred in many university buildings including: Craig Hall, Daniels College of Business, El Pomar Natatorium, Frontier Hall, Johnson-McFarlane, Mary Reed Building, Olin Hall, Ritchie Center, Ruffatto Hall, Seeley G. Mudd, Sturm Hall, Sturm College of Law and University Hall.

According to Baret, a majority of the thefts occur predominantly on the south side of campus, usually in the morning but also during midday and night.

The Department of Campus Safety (DCS) has sent out information regarding precautions to take when leaving property unmonitored to all buildings where incidents have occurred in the past few weeks.

“Over the last several days we visited with individuals in almost every campus building south of Iliff about leaving offices unattended,” said Baret.

Baret recommended reading a brochure by Campus Safety that contains security tips. Some of these tips include maintaining control of keys, master keys and access cards to buildings, locking doors and windows to decrease vulnerability to theft and not leaving any personal belongings unattended at any time. In addition to speaking directly with faculty and staff members, Campus Safety also sent out a crime alert via email.

Given the number of crimes committed, a crime alert reached all members of the DU community via e-mail in an effort to make public the seriousness of the issue.

In the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report produced by Campus Safety for the Fall of 2010, a total of 23 on campus burglaries occurred in 2010, compared to the 17 so far this year.

Campus Safety strongly encourages students and faculty to be cautious of what they leave unsupervised.

“Even though the campus is safe [students] need to not get lulled into a false sense of safety,” said Banet. “People need to protect their property,”

If you become a victim of these crimes or see any suspicious activity, report to Campus Safety at (303) 871-3000.