Campus Theft Calls for Better Solutions

Harvard students may be accustomed to navigating tough assignments, sleepless nights, and a cut-throat extracurricular environment, but this semester has added a new challenge: keeping track of our belongings.

Our campus has recently seen a surge in property theft: In the first week of school alone, an average of three scooters were reported stolen per day. Micromobility devices, laptops, iPads, and even jewelry are disappearing faster than anyone can say “midterm season.”

Given that 95 percent of the caseload of the Harvard University Police Department concerns property crime and that theft seems to be a pressing concern for the student body, it’s both surprising and disappointing that HUPD has been lethargic in their response to elevated levels of theft, leaving students in the dark about investigations and potential perpetrators.

Some have proposed the installation of security cameras in public areas to disincentivize crime and help authorities identify suspects. This plan fails to acknowledge how marginalized groups — including people of color and lower-income residents — have historically been unfairly targeted by surveillance.

It also neglects to consider how these cameras — whose footage would be accessible by outside parties via public records requests — could lead to doxxing and exert a chilling effect on speech. Given recent campus events, Harvard’s free speech culture simply can’t afford another blow; increasing surveillance would be a definitive step in the wrong direction.

So what should be done instead?

First, HUPD must be scaled down into a smaller security team that isn’t plagued by the opacity of the current private police force.

Harvard’s administration and its students have a crucial role to play too. The University should adopt obvious measures to contend with campus theft: move bike racks to HUID-only access zones, create better infrastructure to prevent thieves from accessing students’ property, and reimburse students whose possessions are stolen on a case-by-case basis or when the University is at fault.

Low-income students, for example, pay a much higher price for a stolen item than others — Harvard would be kind to purchase new possessions for these students when their property gets stolen on campus.

Students also need to recognize the realities of living in an urban environment and take proper precautions to lessen the chances of theft — even if these safety measures fail to solve the underlying issue. They should never leave high-value belongings in public spaces nor should they leave their windows open if they live on the first floor.

Ultimately, creating a safe campus is a shared responsibility. Everyone — HUPD, the administration, and students — must work together to foster a community where security and freedom coexist. Until then, the financial and social burdens of theft will continue to weigh our campus down.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

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