Residents at Harvard-Owned Apartment Complex Resort to ‘Self-Policing’ Amid Increased Theft

Harvard graduate student Raeesa Bukhary has had so many deliveries stolen from her residence at the Peabody Terrace — a Harvard-owned apartment complex — that she has stopped ordering packages to her home. Instead, she sends them to a friend’s house on another part of campus.

Bukhary is one of several students who reported experiencing property thefts at Peabody Terrace. Despite complaints, residents say that the Harvard University Police Department has not adequately addressed the issue.

Since Dec. 15, HUPD has received 17 incident reports from Peabody Terrace — including thefts, suspicious activity, and assaults. HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano wrote in an emailed statement to The Crimson that Harvard affiliates should take “precautions to protect their property.”

“Although reported crime at Harvard is low, more than 95 percent of it is property crime,” he wrote. “It is important for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to remember that we are located in an open and densely populated setting.”

According to multiple residents, the Peabody Terrace WhatsApp group chat is active weekly with photos of ripped up packages found by the river or in a parking lot, as well as reports of missing Instacart groceries and bicycles. Residents have also reported accounts of suspicious activity and harassment.

Bukhary said Harvard graduate students living in Peabody Terrace are left feeling frustrated by the “unacceptable” absence of cameras on the property.

Bukhary said her friend’s residence — where she has been sending her packages — has “a security space.”

“You need a password and everything to enter into the package room,” she said. “If they have that, then how hard could it be to implement here?”

PJ Connors, the Peabody Terrace property manager, wrote in a statement to The Crimson that “residents should call HUPD directly with any immediate safety concerns, or use blue light phones to report suspicious activity, crimes in progress or any emergency situation.”

Harvard Kennedy School student Maysa A. T. Verzola — who has had a bike and package stolen since moving into Peabody in June — said she met with HUPD Sergeant Martin Gaughan and Officer William Connell on Feb. 1 to raise concerns about the number of thefts occurring at the apartment complex.

According to Verzola, the officers told her that “there is no way they’re gonna install cameras” because “this is Cambridge, that’s what happens.” Verzola added that the officer said cameras would be ineffective because “the thieves will wear hats.”

“I asked them, ‘Hey, can you stop by Peabody at least once a day?’” Verzola said. “They’re like, ‘No, we have a lot of things to do.’”

Catalano declined to comment on Verzola’s account of the conversation.

In addition to package thefts, Peabody residents have also reported other suspicious activity near the complex.

Bukhary said she has also noticed many unhoused people sleeping on the Peabody lawns, citing an incident where she saw “six or seven” police officers “escorting” an individual off the grounds of the complex.

“He was clearly not okay, and he was screaming,” she said. “They were dragging him off campus.”

In January, HUPD arrested a 24-year-old man at Peabody Terrace after he allegedly refused to leave the residence and assaulted an officer by “pulling his hair.”

The case is currently being processed by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

HKS student Prateek Som, whose son’s bike was stolen from Peabody in December, said the residents have come together in a form of “self-policing.”

“What we are doing as a collective community, whoever sees any courier delivery or packages, they just bring it inside and just keep it near the lift,” he said.

Despite Peabody Terrace residents’ efforts to remain vigilant without authority support, Verzola said the number of thefts has not decreased.

“There are no cameras,” Verzola said. “The police are never there.”

—Staff writer Sally E. Edwards can be reached at sally.edwards@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @sallyedwards04 or on Threads @sally_edwards06.

—Staff writer Asher J. Montgomery can be reached at asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @asherjmont or on Threads @asher_montgomery.