Curtesy of TUPD

Two weeks ago, a man entered Verna McLean Residence Hall using a student’s Tiger Card and took clothes from the lost and found. The following day, the Trinity University Police Department (TUPD) caught the thief.
According to TUPD, the man entered the laundry room in McLean Hall on Feb. 21, and a resident assistant (RA) in the building noticed him. When the man saw the RA, he asked her if the clothes were hers. The RA found the interaction suspicious and reported it to TUPD. In response to the theft, the TUPD initially sent out a community crime alert about the laundry thief on the afternoon of Feb. 21. The next morning, they followed up with an update, informing the community they had caught and identified the subject.
TUPD searched the area after the initial report made by the RA, but was unable to find the suspect. However, TUPD determined that the man was able to enter the building by using a stolen Tiger Card.
Eventually, TUPD was made aware of the suspect’s identity because the following day, he returned to campus to return the Tiger Card. While on campus this time, he interacted with an additional student. Darin Wilde, the administrative lieutenant of TUPD, commented that this student also contacted TUPD after the interaction.
Although the thief was able to enter the residence hall, students don’t necessarily see this as an indication of a lack of security. Ben Radigan, junior computer science major, thinks Trinity’s buildings are generally safe.
“I mean, I can’t even get into the dorms anymore, so I guess [it’s secure],” Radigan said. “Honestly, maybe a little too secure. I’m in a band and on the weekends we used to try to get into the music room, try to get into the Laurie garage and recently the TUPD has been stopping us and is making it really difficult to get into the music room on the weekends.”
Eva Dupertuis, sophomore English major agreed that the dorms are secure for the most part. However, she noted some discrepancies.
“It also depends on the year that you’re in,” Dupertuis said. “For first years, based on experience it’s pretty secure, but it also depends on if it’s an indoor versus an outdoor dorm. I was in Herndon freshman year and it was pretty okay security-wise. But living in Prassel this year, it’s like a stark contrast. Prassel’s better.”
There have been previous incidents of laundry theft on campus recently, in C.W. Miller Hall and Calvert Hall. Both Miller and Calvert Halls are outdoor dorms, so a Tiger Card is not necessary to enter these residence halls.
According to the second community crime alert, criminal charges are pending. While TUPD officially caught the suspect, Wilde emphasized that it was the involved students’ actions that made this possible.
“It was from the actions of two of our students who saw something and said something that the suspect was able to be identified and located,” Wilde wrote in an email. “TUPD will be recognizing each of these students for their ‘See Something, Say Something’ actions that helped to keep our campus safe.”