Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Crime Drops in January

Despite a recent string of burglaries that hit multiple dormitories, a faculty office and the Alumni Square Residence Hall Office, total crime dropped significantly last month compared to January 2012.

The six burglaries in 2013 represented a 45 percent decrease from the same period last year. There were 14 thefts last month, a 36 percent drop from last January.

The most recent high-profile burglary occurred when a­n unknown suspect stole three packages from the Alumni Square RHO on Saturday night. Since there was no evidence of forced entry, investigators believe an unlocked door allowed the burglary.

While thefts in dormitories are relatively common, RHOs have seldom, if ever, suffered burglaries.

“This is the first time I’ve heard about an RHO being burglarized in the six months since I’ve been here,” Department of Public Safety Chief of Police Jay Gruber said.

Despite the stolen packages, the housing office said it has no plans to heighten its security measures.

“We have reviewed our security protocols and determined they are appropriate considering the hundreds of thousands of packages we distribute each year and the very few reported missing packages,” Robin Morey, vice president for planning and facilities management, wrote in an email. “We are reinforcing our security procedures with our staff to avoid another security breach.”

The RHO has already informed the students whose packages were taken about the incident and plans to reimburse them.

Gruber believes that the RHO theft is unrelated to the recent rash of burglaries that hit Harbin, Copley and McCarthy Halls Jan. 28 and 29. Based on security footage, DPS believes that the same individual was responsible for all of those burglaries, but the department wants to investigate the matter further before publicly releasing images of the suspect.

After theft and burglary, drug violations were the next most commonly reported type of crime. The four incidents reported this year represent a 43 percent drop from last January.

This month, no alcohol violations were reported, down from six in January 2012.

Hoya Staff Writer Ted Murphy contributed reporting.

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