Police Report: March 31-April 8

Editor's Note: In the past, The Collegian has published reports on the university crime log, which is an ongoing report produced by the University of Richmond Police Department of all reported on-campus crimes. This log, along with annual security reports and timely warnings, is a federally required report for all federally-funded colleges and universities that was established by the Clery Act. The Collegian's decision to return to covering the crime log is in order to provide a clear report on crime and URPD activity in the university community. This weekly report will present a few of the recent on-campus crimes and some of the information on how the URPD intends to follow up on crimes, as provided by Assistant Chief of Police Beth Simonds. 

Smoking in a lot 

On March 31, five students were found smoking marijuana in a parked car in lot R54, also known as K lot, which is next to Marsh and Lakeview halls, and were identified by URPD officers. The students were found in violation of a drug/narcotic law and a drug equipment law. 

Officers in the situation of a minor non-violent crime such as this are left to their own discretion on whether to press formal charges upon the perpetrators. In this particular incident, the students were referred to their deans for conduct violation.

Burglary in Gottwald

A report came in earlier in the day on April 1 that someone had taken a purse and its contents from a staff member’s office in the Gottwald Center for the Sciences. Simonds described the office as relatively open with a cubicle-like space that is considered private. 

URPD is currently investigating this crime. This is only the second burglary in recent months, a decrease from similar activity in recent years, Simonds said. 

Hit and run

Hit and runs are infrequent occurrences on the university campus, but when they occur, it typically results in minor property damage. On April 4 in lot R43 – the lot next to and behind the Carole Weinstein International Center – there was a hit and run resulting in damage to property. 

URPD has closed this investigation due to dead ends on all given leads. Simonds said that with increased camera surveillance on and around parking lots, it would be easier to follow up on these crimes and hold the guilty parties responsible. 

Pig Roast

There were two arrests involving drinking laws on April 6. Both occurred at 1:05 p.m. on the day of Pig Roast in New Fraternity Row. They were cited as a liquor law violation and a drunk in public charge. 

Simonds said that while mass arrests are not common practice on any day on campus, this year was particularly quiet for police activity in response to Pig Roast. Simonds said she believed that the decreased criminal activity was a direct result of the new Interfraternity Council rules, which require guests lists. Simonds believes the rules were created in response to new and growing pressures to control said activity by the national chapters of individual fraternities, she said. 

Extortion

A male student was the victim of a cyber-crime described as an email scam. The scam targeted the student’s email and claimed that someone was in need of help and would send the student a check for a particular sum of money, at which time the student would send half of that money back. The scam operates so that by the time the student realizes that the check from the perpetrator does not clear at the bank, they have already lost the money that was sent in return. 

Simonds stressed that all students and faculty should be wary of these types of scams, which are common practice in today’s world, especially as there is little the authorities can do to retrieve the extorted money. 

Not all police reports are published, and available information can be found at URPD’s crime log. All information used in this report came from either the URPD police log or Assistant Chief of Police Beth Simonds.

Contact news writer Eli Kline at eli.kline@richmond.edu.