Series of thefts occur at Blair

Three students were apprehended by Feb. 3 in connection with a recent string of thefts, according to Officer Penn and Business Manager Laurie Checco.

In the latest incident, senior Heather Baker was pick-pocketed on Feb. 3 during a passing period. Her wallet was later found minus a credit card and $38.

On Jan. 26 at the end of lunch, sophomores Patrick McQuighan and Aaron Townsend and junior Greg Howard had their backpacks stolen. "I was just hanging out with friends and stuff," said Howard, who, like Townsend, didn't report the theft immediately. McQuighan went to Blair security twice but found that they were unable to help.

The next day, sophomore Vincent Agard and juniors Eric Esch and Jessica Bermudez had their backpacks stolen. Agard went to the Security Office, followed by Esch, Bermudez and Howard, who then realized that their three backpacks were not simply missing. Later, Townsend also reported his theft from the day before.

In response to the thefts, an announcement was made on Jan. 27, which alerted the school of three recent theft reports and cautioned students to take care of their belongings in the SAC. At the time of the announcement, at least six thefts had been brought to the attention of Blair security.

The next day, another student reported a missing backpack. On Feb. 2, junior Austin Fang's backpack was stolen and found during lunch, when he immediately went to the Security Office.

PTSA reaction

Meanwhile, on the Yahoo! Blair PTSA Network group, parents of Blair students responded to Blair parent Diane Martin's message that her son's (Townsend) backpack had been stolen. One parent, Tracy Yaffe, said she had worked a whole year trying to get the attention of the administration after her son's backpack was stolen last year and recovered without a missing cell phone, calculator, Spanish textbook and house key.

Yaffe, upset by the losses, wrote a seven-page letter that proposed strategies on what to do when a student is a victim of property theft. "The goal [of the document] was to place this [property theft] into the forefront of the school community as a serious crime," she wrote in a message on the Yahoo! Group. "Property theft is serious because it is student-on-student – not a good way to build a learning community."

Yaffe presented the document to Principal Philip Gainous and called the administration, the Security Office and Montgomery County police several times. Lena Zezulin, a PTSA member, wrote two letters to Gainous suggesting that students pile backpacks and coats in a specific, guarded area of the SAC. On Feb. 1, PTSA co-president Fran Rothstein met with Gainous and Blair Business Manager Laurie Checco, who agreed to respond to Yaffe and Zezulin's concerns.

Several PTSA members also complained that Blair security was not taking enough responsibility for the thefts. "The security officer should treat the student as a victim and not suggest in any way that the student or his friends are responsible for the theft," Yaffe stated in her letter.

Blair security's response

Blair security felt that it was not feasible for security to keep track of the property of every student. "We have eight or nine security on staff and 3,400 students, realistically," said Penn, who also said that some students were not notifying security the same day as their theft.

Security guard Cedric Boatman agreed with Penn, adding that most things that people report "stolen" are actually in the Lost & Found. "There are people stealing things, but it's not as common as it seems," he said.

However, some backpacks do not end up in the Lost & Found by the Security Office. Townsend's backpack was found in a different Lost & Found by the SAC, and last year, Yaffe's son was unable to utilize his backpack for three weeks; it was lying in a department office.

According to Security Team Leader Edward Reddick, backpacks are often stolen because students do not take responsibility for their items. "In any public environment, each individual has the responsibility to safeguard their property," he said. Most of the theft victims agreed that they were not watching their property.

Missing and recovered items

Upon arriving at the Security Office, students were instructed by security to fill out a form with information about the theft and were then asked whether or not they had checked bathrooms. "Apparently, [thefts] happen, and the backpacks appear in bathrooms," said Esch.

Security searched bathrooms and returned the backpacks and jackets of Howard, whose calculator was stolen, and Esch, whose mp3 player was stolen. "[My backpack] had been partially submerged the toilet," said Howard.

Others also reported missing items: Townsend was missing his calculator and watch; Bermudez was missing her calculator and cell phone; Fang was missing his flash drive, calculator, CDs and $5 in cash; McQuighan and Agard have not gotten their backpacks back.

On the day after their backpack thefts, Esch and Bermudez went twice to the security office but found that it was closed. "If they were to look back at the security tapes, they would probably need me to identify my backpack," said Esch. "It doesn't look like they'll find me to do that."

However, Rothstein reassured another concerned parent that the tapes would be reviewed. "If a student knows (and reports) where s/he was when a crime occurred, and when the crime occurred, the security staff will review the appropriate video," she wrote in a message on the Yahoo! PTSA Group.

To prevent further thefts, Rothstein suggested that students engrave possessions with their name and ID number or any other identifying piece of information.

Rothstein has also allocated a portion of this month's PTSA meeting, which will occur on Feb. 15, to the thefts at Blair. "Our goals for that segment of the meeting are to a) inform you of policies and procedures in place and the rationales behind them, b) provide feedback and any additional recommendations to the Blair Administration,\ and c) offer recommendations to all about how to minimize theft and other crime in the future," she wrote in her e-mail to the PTSA.