Out of all society’s criminals, the thief is unmatched in public popularity. A thief’s crimes are usually non-violent and so clean and crisp that no one even knows they have occurred until it is too late. Popular movies such as ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ ‘The Italian Job’ and ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ have created an image of an acceptable thief.

However, in reality, theft – or larceny as it’s known in the courts of America – is an issue that many Syracuse University students have to deal with. Whether it’s as serious as stolen electronics or as simple as stolen loafs of bread from the dining halls, compulsive stealers, more commonly known as kleptomaniacs, seem to be as common on this campus as skirts in the new warm weather.

‘People steal because of lack of self-control,’ said Lawrence Thomas, a philosophy professor. ‘I am not a believer in diseases, afflictions; they are just excuses.’

Regardless of the reason, there are differences between the types of thefts being committed on campus. Serious thefts such as car stereos, computers and digital cameras are issues that Public Safety frequently looks into. The other type of larceny on campus involves stealing clothes, food from the dining halls or other assorted items.

Sophomore business major Ted Perry admits that the little thievery he has done fits into the second category of larceny. Although he will not admit to what he stole, he assures the public that it was nothing serious.

‘I took the stuff because it’s fun,’ Perry said. ‘It is kind of funny. It’s like a prize.’

Although stealing small things may be funny to a thief, the victims may feel hurt by it. Biology professor Marvin Druger knows what it is like to have something personal stolen from him. At the end of last semester, a thief seized a life-size cut out of Druger that was on display at the Brockway dining center. Even though the cutout was recovered, Druger is still upset about the theft.

‘I felt personally violated,’ Druger said. ‘I put my trust in the students. It was thoughtless. I’m sure it was a prank, but it was without thought.’

From a student’s perspective, sophomore nutrition major Paola Mora knows what it is like to be victimized by a swindler. During her freshman year in Brewster Hall, she had two pairs of jeans and three shirts lifted from the laundry room. To this day she does not understand the thief’s motives.

‘Honest to God, I don’t know why they took them. There are rich kids all over the place. Why would they take clothes?’ Mora said.

While kleptomaniacs share a common appetite for off-limit objects, the price range of items they covet and the bitterness sparked by their actions varies from one case to the next. Peter Lehar, an undecided freshman in The College of Arts and Sciences, experienced the pangs of property loss first-hand, and admits that his attitudes toward other people have been tainted in the process.

After his $230 digital camera was taken from him, Lehar felt ‘like an idiot … I definitely lost respect for humanity.’

According to Capt. Grant Williams of the Department of Public Safety, there are many people like Perry on campus. Williams is in charge of crime prevention at SU and has found that many thefts, which are the most prevalent crimes on campus, are crimes of opportunity rather than crimes of greed.

‘People will take anything a student has,’ Williams said. ‘Laptop, iPod, clothes, just anything if you leave it unattended. Most perpetrators live in the dorms. I encourage students to lock things up.’

When a theft is called in, Public Safety will inspect the actual scene and write a report. Afterward, there is a follow-up and an investigation of the area. Much to the dismay of many students, items are rarely recovered, Williams said.

If there is one place where thievery abounds at SU, it is the dining centers. These locations are home to items such as plates, silverware and glasses – objects students can easily slip into their school bags.

According to Mark Tewksbury, the assistant director of Food Services, theft at the dining hall is ‘kind of like a fact of life, something to work around.’

Tewksbury trains his staff to keep an eye out for the thieves amidst the casual diners, but admits that it is very hard. Dining Halls try to have positive customer service and attitude, but that atmosphere would be hard to maintain with guards watching students to see who is taking multiple forks back to their rooms.

Whether thieves are eying stacks of plates at the dining hall or that hip new shirt someone else just purchased, students should be aware that burglars are out there.

‘Every now and then a cell phone, wallet or bookbag will be recovered,’ Williams said. ‘For most cases, once it’s gone, it’s gone.’

Published on April 18, 2005 at 12:00 pm