Laptops, Wallets Stolen from Lowell Saturday

The Harvard University Police Department is investigating the theft of six laptops, a cell phone, and wallets from unlocked dorm rooms Lowell House's E and F entryways late Saturday night.

On Sunday morning, HUPD received three reports of stolen property, including a report that a burglar entered three rooms of a single suite. In an emailed statement, HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano said that “all three rooms were unlocked.”

The thefts are reported to have occurred between 9 p.m. Saturday night and 1:30 a.m. the next morning.

The HUPD investigation is “active and ongoing,” according to Catalano. None of the residents encountered any potential suspects, and the police have not identified any suspects.

In an email sent around 11 a.m. on Sunday to residents of Lowell House, Resident Dean Caitlin M. Casey ’03 asked students to report any unusual activity or suspicious people they may have seen the night before.

“Some people were asleep in their beds when their stuff was taken,” Casey wrote. “Obviously, that is terrifying.”

In an attempt to prevent future losses of property, Casey reminded residents to not allow strangers into the House and to stay vigilant around campus.

“Harvard feels like a bubble,” Casey wrote, “[B]ut we live in a city and we all need to take precautions.”

Approximately 90 laptops are stolen on campus every year, according to HUPD’s annual security report. A string of thefts last year prompted the Undergraduate Council to call for security cameras outside residential halls, and in September 2016, thousands of dollars worth of laptops were stolen across campus. In many of the cases, students whose valuables were stolen left their doors unlocked.

“Don’t tape your doors or leave your key in your lock,” Casey warned.

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