Grad Students Burglarized at Totman Gym

The Daily Collegian - 2/13/07

Nearly $3,000 worth of stolen goods has taught one student from the University of Massachusetts the importance of keeping his property under lock and key.

Bin Chen, 30, a graduate student in the Computer Science Department became a victim of theft while swimming laps in the pool inside Totman Recreational Facility. After finishing his swim, Chen found that his keys were missing from his locker. In addition his laptop, iPod and his wallet with at least $60 were stolen from his car. The suspect not only made away with the electronics and money but charged $425 on a credit card at Wal-Mart.

Deputy Chief Patrick Archbald of the UMass Police Department commented that while locker break-ins are common, this specific case is "unusual." Because there was no damage done to the car, Archbald said the perpetrators must have used the remote attached to Chen's keys to gain access to the vehicle.

"This circumstance is the first that I have heard of in which someone was able to access a [car] remote and use it to get into a car," said Archbald.

Another student victimized in the robbery lost his laptop valued at $2,000 during the incident. The student, who asked to remain anonymous, is also a part of the Computer Science Graduate Program and said that his "every day life depends on [his laptop]."

"The loss makes my life very inconvenient," he said.

The car break-in, occurring somewhere between the hours 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5, left Chen feeling "very angry" and upset that something like this could happen.

Although car break-ins in the Totman parking lot are rare, noted Archbald, they do happen occasionally.

One police campaign, designed to help stop thefts like this from happening, is called "Like it, Lock it, Keep it."

"This plan is a collaborative effort between UMPD and Residence Life," said Archbald. He also noted that students should take extra time to secure their belongings, or they run the risk losing them.

According to Chen, this is not the first time valuables have been stolen from a locker at Totman. Earlier this school year, Chen mentioned that his friend lost a wallet and a cell phone, and another person lost their wallet in the locker room.

David Humphreys can be reached at dhumphre@student.umass.edu.