University Facilities to rekey Forest apartments after loss of master key

University Facilities will change the locks on all University Forest Apartments after the loss of a master key, according to an email from the University of Richmond Police Department. 

The police department notified residents of the University Forest Apartments at 3:30 p.m. on Friday that a master key to the apartments had gone missing sometime between Thursday and Friday. The police have increased patrols for the area, Beth Simonds, assistant chief of police, wrote in the email. 

Despite confusion over how the key was lost in the first place, many students approve of the way the department is handling the situation.

"It was actually comforting to see that they didn't just say they would do it to ease minds, but actually followed through to maintain the safety of UFA residents," junior Zach Campbell said about the increased police presence by his apartment.

Residents of University Forest Apartments can still use their current keys, senior Haley Abate said. Abate has full confidence that the campus police are committed to efficiently restoring the safety of the students, she said.

“The situation has not inconvenienced me at all,” Abate said.

University Facilities plans to rekey the cores of each University Forest Apartment lock "as quickly as possible,” rendering the missing key useless, according to the email. 

In the meantime, campus police will continue to have addition patrols around University Forest Apartments. They asked that if anyone observed suspicious activity for he or she to call (804) 289-8911 or (804) 289-8715.

Contact reporter Tracy Naschek at tracy.naschek@richmond.edu