Burglars broke into more than 40 University of Hawaii-Manoa offices over the past two weekends, making away with at least $11,000 in computers and electronic equipment, according to UH security Capt. Donald Dawson. Burglars hit dozens
of UH officesBy Treena Shapiro
tshapiro@starbulletin.comBurglars gained access with crowbars, prying open doors at Edmondson, Saunders, Gartley and Dean halls, as well as the music complex and the College of Business Administration.
Additional thefts occurred at Gateway cafeteria and the barber shop at Hemenway Hall, but Dawson said he did not think those were related because the methods appeared to be different.
Police and security have no suspects. "We do have some forensic evidence that was recovered at the scene," said police Lt. Sherman Chan. "They're being processed."
Dawson said he thinks that the burglars were familiar with the campus, noting that they knew of an obscure door in the College of Business Administration that led to a larger area.
However, because they also broke into several empty offices, Dawson said that he doubts they are familiar with current operations. "It's not someone coming here in the daytime, pre-picking out places," he said.
Since the break-ins occurred at night when the campus was virtually empty, no one was threatened or injured, Dawson said.
Campus security will now cover a broader area of the campus overnight.
"These incidents have been virtually from one end of the campus to the other. It's not possible for our officers to be everywhere all the time," Dawson said. "Shifting staff to specific areas necessarily means that other areas may not be covered as well."
The university has 75 to 80 alarm systems in place, but not in any of the buildings that were targeted, Dawson said. The offices that were broken into all were locked.
"The people have been diligent in locking up their places," he said. "Some people have spent a little bit of time and effort breaking in."
Dawson said people should make sure their offices are locked and, if necessary, have their locks repaired.
UH spokesman Paul Costello said it is important for the university community to be aware of the break-ins and to be watchful and to prevent burglaries in the future. "We're all in this together and we have to take responsibility for this," he said.
Campus security is available around the clock and can be reached at 956-8211 or, in an emergency, 956-6911. Campus "blue light" security boxes provide immediate access to security personnel simply by picking up the telephone handset.
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