Correction: In a previous version of this article, the category of crime in the headline was misstated. SU is attempting to improve campus security after recent burglaries. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Barbara Jones came into work on a Sunday only to see that her desk had been rummaged through and her laptop was missing.

Jones, a television, radio and film professor, saw obvious signs of a break-in to her office on Feb. 8. It was one of 18 in Newhouse II that showed break-in attempts. Not all of the offices were burglarized, but Jones was one of the few who had property stolen.

“First I noticed my laptop was missing and then when I came around to the side, my desk clearly had been broken into,” Jones said.

Since Jan. 30, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and several other Syracuse University buildings became targets for burglaries. By Feb. 15, the SU Department of Public Safety took two suspects into custody who are scheduled to return to court Wednesday, Detective Ed Weber said.

The suspects, Duncan “Wonderboy” Miller, 21, and Christopher “Shinobi” Dugger, 25 are both charged with two felonies, third-degree burglary and fourth-degree grand larceny, and several misdemeanors including resisting arrest and third degree criminal trespass.

Since the string of burglaries, officials from various campus buildings in the areas affected by the thefts have requested to install security cameras, said Hannah Warren, DPS public information and internal communications officer.

As of now, DPS has approximately 500–600 cameras positioned around campus that provide a total of 700–800 different views of the campus, Warren said. The cameras can pivot and tilt to face different directions and record different perspectives of an area.

By January 2015, DPS hopes to increase the number of camera views on campus to about 800–1,000, providing officers with new opportunities to catch suspects. DPS Chief Tony Callisto also said the university has discussed the option of adding around 900 electronic locks to several classroom doors on SU’s campus. But because they have a lot of doors to cover, he said the process may take many months.

Jones said the thought of someone rummaging through her stuff and invading her space made her feel violated and annoyed.

“With a bit of thinking they probably could have accessed some of my own personal financials and certainly private information about students,” Jones added.

Weber said he believes that more camera angles would have helped in the case’s investigation process.

To catch the suspects DPS used the burglary suppression team, a group of officers assigned to act as additional patrol looking for suspicious activity. DPS also provided officers with a photo of the suspects retrieved from campus security cameras to help them know who to look for, Weber said.

“The reason why we had a description of the suspects at all was because we had security footage of the suspects leaving and entering Archbold Gym,” Warren said.

Other measures like an electronic security system are already in place at SU even though faculty, staff and students may not realize it is there.

“We cannot have a camera for every foot of this campus,” Weber said. “But if we get some areas that we can actually trace people walking from a building down to the next area we have cameras that would give us a little more insight.”

Weber explained that a system that allows officers to monitor foot traffic is already in place, but recently DPS has begun making suggestions about new camera angles that would make identifying suspects easier.

Areas with high foot traffic create the most concern, Weber said. The Carrier Dome, the Quad — where several buildings were targeted — E.S. Bird Library and Newhouse are all priorities for establishing new camera angles.

All of the permanent cameras would be placed outside of entrances to track the path of a potential suspect, Weber said. DPS would only consider placing a camera inside if it could be installed and removed immediately, he added.

Individuals intent on committing a crime or burglary will look for cameras and other security devices, Weber said. He added that the suspects took this into account when they hit offices and buildings on campus because the places that were targeted did not have a lot of camera coverage.

Jones, one of the burglary victims, suggested that students, faculty and staff be required to swipe into every building on campus, especially in the evening.

“You guys already have cards, we all have cards, what would it take for those cards to also contain data that gives us access to a building?” Jones said.

However, with the exception of a few buildings like Hendricks Chapel, all buildings on campus are already outfitted for card access, Warren said.

The building coordinator determines each campus building’s hours of operation, Warren said. DPS has no say in when the buildings close for the night, she added.

She pointed out that camera equipment is expensive and installing new cameras takes a lot of coordination. Cameras are not going to prevent crimes, but an effective electronic security system and a strong officer presence will help deter criminal activity, Warren said.

Warren added: “Yes, we have electronic security systems, but our officers are also a security system in their own right and we do try to make changes to help them and make them be the most efficient as possible.”

Published on March 26, 2014 at 2:19 am

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