Cohen burglary derides Crime Prevention Month

Detectives are still stumped following the theft of over $15,000 of equipment from Aidekman Arts Center. The thieves cut the padlocks on fourteen total lockers were and tampered with five others. No University property was stolen.

A student reported the theft to the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 18 when he discovered that his lock had been cut and the contents of his locker, including a saxophone, had been removed.

According to police, the theft was committed sometime between 5:15 p.m. the day before and 9:42 a.m. that morning.

A guard provided by Allied Security was stationed at the building between 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. that evening. Although the guard is usually stationed at the building's front entrance, they periodically tour the basement area, according to police.

The guard only leaves the building once it has been evacuated and after securing all of the entrances. Because none of the building's locks were tampered with, "it is conceivable that this theft happened during the daytime," Director of Public Safety John King said.

The Tufts University Police Department is working with local authorities on the case, but have yet to uncover any leads.

An insurance and risk manager has been speaking with students whose equipment was stolen to collect serial numbers.

Senior Nimish Dixit returned from a concert trip on Oct. 20 to discover that his trumpet, case, and other items had been stolen from his locker. He and his two friends lost belongings worth between $6,000 and $7,000.

"Cohen is one of the most easily accessible buildings on campus," Dixit said. "It's used for so many different functions; [even] people from off-campus are invited."

When asked if he would consider leaving his valuables in the Cohen lockers again, Dixit said: "I don't have anything to leave there anymore."

Although King agrees that Cohen is an easy building to access, he said that one guard is enough. "I can't remember a theft of this nature in the past 14 years," he said.

However, TUPD is conducting a formal security review -- the first such review in six years -- to determine how similar thefts could be prevented in future.

"We're looking at the procedure," King said. "We assign lockers to students [at Cohen] and the students bring their own locks. Anyone using a typical Master Lock runs the risk [of being robbed]. I believe it is worth spending more money [on a better lock] to be more secure."

After several thefts were reported from the lockers in Cousens Gymnasium, Tufts issued new locks and there have been no robberies since, King said. However, until the new security review is completed, it is not certain whether these same preventive measures will be taken at Cohen.

The incident has made some musicians wary of leaving their instruments in the Cohen lockers.

"Frankly, I just don't trust other people," freshman Alan Manos said.