During the past two weeks, there have been a number of electronic equipment thefts in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Eggers halls. The crimes are currently being looked into by both the Syracuse Police Department and Syracuse University’s Public Safety, according to Capt. Drew Buske of Public Safety.

‘A number of electronic pieces of equipment have been taken and the value was well over a couple of thousand dollars,’ he said.

The first incident was reported on Jan. 31, and the most recent occurred on Monday. Items that have been taken include university-owned cameras and projectors, as well as personal property and cash, according to an e-mail sent on Monday to Maxwell students, faculty and staff.

Neither Dean Mitch Wallerstein nor Associate Dean Michael Wasylenko, of the Maxwell School, were available for comment citing security reasons and concern for jeopardizing the investigation, according to an administrative assistant from the dean’s office.

Buske said they were not ruling out whether the robberies were linked or independent incidents because there was not enough evidence to substantiate either conclusion.

‘At this time the cases remain open,’ he said. ‘We are not going to rule the fact that they may be all linked or there could be one or two that are totally separate.’

The city’s police department is leading the investigation but did not return phone calls for comment. Though, police technicians have processed the crime scene for evidence, according to Buske.

Public Safety is conducting interviews with people who have access to the areas from where property has been taken and is interested in talking to any witnesses who may have observed suspicious activity late at night or in the early morning, Buske said.

‘We are taking steps within Public Safety as far as patrol measures to heighten visibility in the building,’ he said.

Buske advised faculty members to lock their offices, especially at the end of the day, and to lock up any valuable equipment as an added precaution. Any missing property should be reported to Public Safety immediately.

It is also important to record the serial number and value of any expensive equipment, because if it is stolen this will simplify the process for retuning property, Buske added.

‘This thing is wide open right now,’ he said. ‘We’re exploring all possibilities.’

Published on February 12, 2007 at 12:00 pm