6:30 p.m. update: The University issued a public safety alert about the burglary, confirming it occurred in the Car Barn.

According to the alert, the suspect is described as a short, black male. The suspect was seen wearing a blue coat, carrying a large backpack, and riding a red mountain bike.

Original post: A laptop, digital camera, and video camera were stolen from the an office building on the 3500 block of Prospect Street between Sunday and Monday morning.

According to Metropolitan Police Department Officer Abigail Hughes, “an unknown tool” was used to force open the office’s front door between 11:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. Once inside, the unknown burglar (or burglars) forced open additional doors and stole the electronic equipment.

Although University officials have not confirmed the location of the burglary, the Car Barn is the only office building located on the block.

On Wednesday afternoon, a student’s laptop was stolen from his Darnall dorm as he slept. Since Sunday, seven laptop thefts have occurred on campus.

According to a public safety alert, the student left a door “unsecured,” which allowed an unknown suspect to enter the room and steal the laptop. There were no signs of forced entry.

14 on-campus laptop thefts have been reported to the Department of Public Safety this month; a total of 27 have been reported this semester. Three other laptop thefts were reported in University-owned buildings on Wisconsin Avenue, while another theft occurred on the 1400 block of 37th Street in September.

View Campus Crime Watch: November 11-16 in a larger map

7:30 p.m. update: Three more laptop thefts have been reported since Tuesday. One was stolen from a Darnall dorm room while the victim was napping.

Original post: Five more laptops were stolen between Thursday and Tuesday, continued a trend of on-campus thefts that began last month.

In light of the rash of property crimes, Vox encourages students to participate in the Metropolitan Police Department’s property registration program, For iPhone users, the MobileMe function allows users to track down a lost or stolen iPhone.

Thursday, November 11

10:30 PM – THEFT (ICC). An unknown person stole an unsecured jacket containing a cell phone. No suspects or witnesses have been identified.

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View Campus Crime Watch: November 2 – November 10 in a larger map

In addition to the latest burglary and attempted burglary in Village A, this week saw a pair of bizarre automobile-related incidents: A pizza car hijacking and a DUI near Darnall Hall.

Tuesday, November 2

8:15 AM – ROBBERY (3600 block of Canal Road). MPD reported a robbery at a gasoline station at this location.

4:04 PM – ASSAULT (Village A). An unknown person attempted to gain entry into an apartment after the suspect forcefully grabbed the students arm and followed her on Wisconsin Avenue. No suspects or witnesses have been identified. [Editor's note: DPS classified this crime as "attempted burglary."]

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Yesterday, WUSA9 reported that a former Georgetown Hospital employee pled guilty to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a non-profit based in the hospital.

Frankie Renee Kennedy, a Maryland resident, stole $86,286 from the Georgetown Transplant Institute from 2005 to 2009. Kennedy worked at the Institute from 1998 until this year, where she was responsible for “day-to-day operations.”

According to WUSA9, Kennedy wrote 69 checks to herself using the non-profit’s bank account, signing each check with a doctor’s signature stamp. She attempted to hide her involvement by falsely attributing the money to foundation purposes in the checks’ memo lines.

Kennedy, who faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, will repay the monies to the hospital as a part of her plea bargain. She will be sentenced in February.

View Campus Crime Watch: October 27 – November 1 in a larger map

With the latest attempted Village A burglary in mind, Vox wants to remind everybody to lock their doors. Also, two incidences of fraud also occurred this week; if you become a victim of fraud or theft, don’t forget to deactivate your GOCard, which can be done through the GOCard website.

To report an emergency, call the Georgetown Department of Public Safety at (202) 687-4343 or the DC Metropolitan Police Department at 911. To report other suspicious behavior, call the DPS tip-line at (202) 687-2320.

Wednesday, October 27

1:00 PM – THEFT (Hariri). A wallet containing two credit cards, insurance card, and cell phone were stolen from an unsecured area. No suspects or witnesses have been identified.

2:15 PM – THEFT (Hariri). A wallet containing a credit card, driver’s license, and social security card was stolen. No suspects or witnesses have been identified.

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View Campus Crime Watch: October 19-26 in a larger map

Drug violations—and the ensuing arrests—took a prominent position in this week’s news coverage. However, theft remains the most prevalent type of crime on campus. Six reported incidents of laptop thefts occurred on campus in the past week, two of which occurred within minutes of one another on Sunday in Lauinger Library. (In total, four laptops were stolen on Sunday.)

While investigating a laptop theft in Village A on Tuesday night, Metropolitan Police Department Sergeant Nick Cook offered students some tongue-in-cheek advice.

“Look out for the guy running around with 17 Macbooks,” he said.

To report an emergency, call the Georgetown Department of Public Safety at (202) 687-4343 or the DC Metropolitan Police Department at 911. To report other suspicious behavior, call the DPS tip-line at (202) 687-2320.

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View Campus Crime Watch: October 12-18 in a larger map

Earlier this week, the Hoya reported a rise in bicycle thefts at Georgetown. Vox recommends that students register their bikes with the National Bike Registry. (Bicycle registration, which was required in D.C. until 2008, is potentially the only way to recover a stolen bicycle.) When locking up those bikes, remember: U-locks with steel cuffs are the best, and always lock the front wheel.

In other news, Fall is well underway on the Hilltop, which means one thing—gourd-like squash are being displayed on porches. Sadly, there’s no pumpkin registry in D.C., so be vigilant against this seasonal blight of pumpkin larceny.

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[Editor's Note: We're changing up our crime coverage a bit. Now, we're posting weekly crime reports, rather than monthly.]

View Campus Crime Watch: October 1-11 in a larger map

This past week-and-a-half saw the three on-campus assaults, two of which DPS characterized as “domestic violence assaults.”

According to Rachel Pugh, associate director of University communications, criminal behavior can fall under the purview of both Student Conduct and D.C. law. Physical assault, depending on the severity of the injury, is classified as either a Class B or C violation, which general carry minimum punishments ranging from “housing probation or housing suspension to disciplinary probation or disciplinary suspension” and “disciplinary suspension or … dismiss[al] from the University.” D.C. law punishes “simple” (i.e. misdemeanor) assault with a fine of “$1000 and/or imprisonment of up to 180 days, or both” (DC Code 22-404).

To report an emergency, call the Georgetown Department of Public Safety at (202) 687-4343 or the DC Metropolitan Police Department at 911.  To report other suspicious behavior, call the DPS tip-line at (202) 687-2320.

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As expected, the first full month of the academic year saw an uptick in crime from the summer lull, bringing the total number of crimes reported to the Department of Public Safety up to 43 for the month. A number of off-campus crimes occurred in September as well, including a burglary, a number of iPhone robberies, and a robbery of an armored car.

Here’s a rundown of some of the crimes that were reported to DPS:

• A suspect was found to be in possession of a dangerous weapon when it was determined that he had three machetes. (Sounds like he came prepared for any potential burglaries on campus.)
• Two assaults on a police officer occurred in September, one of which happened during the protest of Álvaro Uribe’s guest lecture.
• Nine drug violations were discovered by DPS, of which nearly half took place over the second weekend of September.
• A total of 13 thefts were reported to DPS, including a bike stolen from inside the Mortara Center, as well as an unattended computer and wallet  taken in Lauinger Library.
• Two lewd incidents were reported, including one about a male fondling himself in front of a student.

[Editor's Note: Due to technical problems, we couldn't compile September's crimes onto a map this morning. Once we work out the kinks, we promise to add it to the post.]