The Leader

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UWM Police Chief Pam Hodermann sent an e-mail to all campus building chairs Feb. 27 warning that a woman suspected of committing several thefts costing the university "thousands of dollars" was still at large and warned the chairs to be cautious of their belongings.

The police released several photos to the chairs and warned that the suspect could be responsible for a "rash of thefts" from offices all over campus.

The suspect was captured on film using credit cards stolen from UWM, possibly from one of the three locations-Johnston, Enderis and Curtin halls-the police believe she stole from. The police said the suspect appears to be connected to thefts at UW-Madison and Marquette University campuses.

"She fits in, she doesn't look suspicious, and that's what makes it difficult," Detective Sergeant Art Koch said. "There was no sign of forced entry. The most important way to prevent this is to not leave any property unattended."

From Jan. 31-Feb.21, eight thefts were reported to the police, including thefts of wallets, checkbooks, cash, credit cards, laptops, computer monitors and other valuables from various locations, including Cunningham Hall, the architecture building, Johnston Hall, Enderis Hall and the residence halls.

According to Koch, a recent study by the police found that the majority of thefts are committed between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the eastern sector of campus, from Maryland to Downer and Kenwood to Hartford.

"There are 28,000 students here, and there are always thefts going on," Koch said. "There is always an increase of thefts at the beginning of the semester, but this is a little more serious."

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