VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

January, 2010
Cardinal Safety Newsletter
Otterbein College Security Department

Special Points of Interest:
The vast majority of thefts can be
prevented by simply securing your
property or locking your doors.
Security has an engraver and UV pen
to mark your items for easy
identification.
Remove the opportunity, remove the
crime!
Inside This Issue:
Theft Statistics 1
Director’s Note
The Westerville Police have seen an in-
crease in vehicle break-ins throughout
the City within the past month. Please
take time to secure your belongings and
don’t leave anything within plain sight.
Theft is not a common occurrence at
OC, but it is a crime that all too often
happens on college campuses.
Whether it is the thief that steals a
backpack or an employee that takes
home a ream of paper, it is still theft.
Between January 2009 and January
2010 the Otterbein College Security De-
partment investigated 40 theft and 23
burglary incidents of complaints where
property was confirmed as stolen.
From these incidents alone, and almost
surely all incidents were not reported,
$26,000 worth of property was taken
from students, faculty, staff members, or
the College itself. While all unsecured
property is vulnerable to theft, some of
the most commonly reported stolen
items included bicycles, laptop com-
puters, GPS devices, MP3 players (Zune
and iPod), musical instruments, digital
cameras, wallets, keys, cash, clothing,
and textbooks.
So what can students, faculty and staff
do to decrease their chances of
becoming a potential victim? The
following pages offer some easy crime
prevention measures to decrease the
chance of becoming a victim of a theft.
Please feel free to call with any questions
or concerns, 614-823-1222
-Larry Banaszak, Security Director

Office and Room Security
Identity Theft
Laptop Safety
Bicycle Registration
Securing Property in Vehicles
Meet Security
General Information
Otterbein College Security
194 West Main Street
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 823-1222
security@otterbein.edu
1 Securing Your Office and Residence Hall Room
2 as family heirlooms, expensive jewelry, etc.
While most thefts at Otterbein have
2 occurred in common areas such as the Lock your door at all times when you are
3 Campus Center or Rike Center, there not in your room or office. It may seem
3 has been an alarming increase lately of inconvenient to do so if you’re running to
burglaries into faculty/staff offices and the restroom or down the hall to speak with
3
student’s rooms in the residence halls. someone, but it could be the difference
3 between keeping your property or losing it.
Here are several important safety tips
that could protect your property while on Do NOT prop doors to any building. This
campus and prevent the heartache of impacts everyone’s personal safety as well
as that of their property.
becoming a victim of crime:
Do NOT let anyone into your building, room,
Only bring items to campus that are or office that you don’t know.
necessary for your success. Rethink your Immediately report any suspicious activity
decision to bring irreplaceable items such or people to the Security Department.

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www.otterbein.edu/resources/security/security. http://redalert.otterbein.edu
Otterbein College Security Department
Volume 2, Issue 4 Cardinal Safety Newsletter Page 2

Identity Theft
Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in America. 9.9 Million victims were reported last year; according to a re-
cent Federal Trade Commission survey. Identity Theft is a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of per-
sonal identifying information such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers and uses them for their
own personal gain. It can start with lost or stolen wallets, pilfered mail, a data breach, computer virus, phishing, a
scam, or paper documents that have been thrown out by a business (dumpster diving).
What to do if you think you are a victim — http://www.privacy.ohio.gov/citizens/
1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review the reports carefully.
2. Close any accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently.
3. File a police report. A police report will help you with creditors who may want proof of the crime.
4. Report your complaint to the Federal Trade Commission. Your report helps law enforcement officials across the country in
their investigations.
5. After filing a police report, ask the officer handling the case to apply for an Identity Theft Verification Passport. The Ohio
Attorney General's Passport program allows victims of identity theft to verify to law enforcement and creditors that their
identity has been stolen.

Laptop Security
Laptops are becoming the computer of choice for
professionals and students. Because they're small,
easy to hide, have a high resale value, and are easy to
carry away, laptops are a primary target for thieves.
Surveys from the Computer Security Institute say that
one in ten laptops sold this year will be stolen for an
average of 1000 laptops stolen each day across the
country.
Colleges are especially fertile territory for laptop thieves
with a large number of open residence hall doors,
easily distracted students, and many common areas.
Suddenly your 85 page thesis has vanished, research
files and homework are history, and it all happens in a
blink of an eye. So how can we deter these thefts?
Here are some simple ways you can decease your
chances of becoming a laptop thief's next victim:
Always use an anti-theft device. Portable locking
devices and motion sensor alarms are fairly
inexpensive and easy to use.
Never leave your laptop in plain view while it is in
your car. Lock it in your trunk.
Never leave your laptop in plain view in your office
or residence hall room. If you can, lock it in a desk
or file cabinet.
Register your laptop with the Security Department.
We have an engraving tool and an ultraviolet (UV)
pen available, as well. You can engrave your name
or other information that identifies the computer as
yours somewhere on the laptop. If you do, do not
use your social security number due to identity theft
concerns.
Carry your laptop in an unassuming, well-padded
bag. This avoids the unwanted attention a
traditional laptop computer bag or a fancy leather
briefcase can generate.
When travelling, never put your laptop on the airport
security x-ray machine belt before you have a clear
path and view to the end of the belt.
If you’re in a common area such as the Library or
Campus Center, take a few moments to secure your
laptop if you’re getting up to take a bathroom break
or grab a cup of coffee. If you remove the
opportunity, you remove the crime!
Back up all irreplaceable information daily.
Contact the College’s Information Technologies
Services Department for anti-theft device, advice or
questions regarding laptop (and desktop) computer
safety.
Additional information on different types of anti-theft
devices for your laptop is available on-line.

Visit our website at: Search on Facebook: Sign up for Red Alert Emergency Notifications
www.otterbein.edu/resources/security/security. http://redalert.otterbein.edu
Otterbein College Security Department
Volume 2, Issue 4 Cardinal Safety Newsletter Page 3

Bicycle Registration Securing Property in Vehicles

When riding bicycles on campus be sure to take a lock PREVENT THEFTS FROM AUTOS! Criminals roam lots
with you and secure your bike to one of the provided and streets looking to steal items from vehicles. They
bike racks. Additionally, register your bike with the use the “smash and grab” method: smash a window-
Security Department. Registration is easy and free. grab the valuables. This takes no more than seconds.
Information is kept on file at the Security Department When possible, take property with you. Laptops, purses,
and with the Westerville Division of Police for several bags, cell phones, small
years, so even if a student has graduated and something electronics are popular
happens to their bicycle, we would be able to provide the items for thieves. If you
information on the bicycle if the owner does not have the must leave valuables,
secure them out of
number, model number, etc. Stop by the Security Office
sight, or locked in the
to register your bicycle or visit our website for the regis-
trunk.
tration form.

In an effort to improve communications, we are now on Facebook. Search for the Otterbein
Security Department and become a fan today.

Meet Security General Security Information

Officer Andrew Kennedy has worked with the Otter-
bein College Security Depart-
ment since September,
2008, and is currently as-
signed to the night shift. You
may see him late at night as-
sisting students with escorts
or campus safety patrols. He
is a certified police officer, having completed his
Basic Peace Officer training at Delaware Area Ca-
reer Center. He and his wife reside in Westerville.
In his free time, Officer Kennedy enjoys working on
cars, hunting, and riding dirt bikes.
Cardinal Red Alert
Please sign up today for Red Alert Emergency Notifications
by following the link at the bottom of this page. In the event
of an emergency or class cancellation, you will contacted of
the situation. The information provided will not be used for
any other purpose.
Citation Appeals
All appeals of citations must be completed within three busi-
ness days of the issuance of the citation. Appeal forms are
available online www.otterbein.edu/security/appeals.asp. All
appeals are heard by the Traffic Council within one to two
weeks, and you will be notified of the decision shortly there-
after.

Crime Prevention Classes

The Security Department offers educational programs designed to improve and enhance your knowledge of crime
and personal safety. These are some of the classes that we can instruct to your group— Introduction to Crime Pre-
vention, Crisis Response on Campus - Active Shooters, Introduction to Emergency Response on Campus, Sexual As-
sault Awareness and Prevention, Date-Rape Drugs, Personal Protection and Self-Defense Options, Alcohol Decisions,
Drugs and the Law, Spring Break Survival, Internet Safety and Identity Theft, Personal Protection for Women, Resi-
dence Hall Fire Safety, and Residence Hall Smoke Out. Please check our website for upcoming dates and descrip-
tions of each class. We can also work with you on customized training classes for your group.

Visit our website at: Search on Facebook: Sign up for Red Alert Emergency Notifications
www.otterbein.edu/resources/security/security. http://redalert.otterbein.edu
Otterbein College Security Department