Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by The University Police Department Patrol Officers between Tuesday, 06/16/15 and Wednesday, 06/17/15. ****SCAM ALERT**** Recently, the UT Police Department has received complaints from faculty, staff and students regarding the IRS Scam in which a caller contacts them with a “cloned” Austin Police Department telephone number. The caller claims to be working in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is investigating the person regarding owed taxes. The caller threatens the person with arrest and demands immediate payment over the phone, usually by a pre-paid debit card. The caller will stay on the phone as the person goes to the store and purchases the debit card. The caller then asks for the account information on the card before disconnecting the call. Fortunately, none of the people who contacted the police department were victims of this scam. No law enforcement agency, including the agents of the IRS, will ask for payment over the phone. BLANTON MUSEUM OF ART, 1900 Speedway Criminal Trespass Warning (2 counts): Two non-UT subjects were reported as sleeping on the southwest side of the museum. The subjects were awakened and issued written criminal trespass warnings. Occurred on 06/07/15 at 2:36 AM. PERRY-CASTAÑEDA LIBRARY, 101 East 21st Street Public Intoxication / Criminal Trespass Warning: A non-UT subject was found “passed out” on the 3rd floor of the library after the library had closed to the general public. When awakened, the subject was not very agreeable and answered most inquiries with certain verbs and adjectives directed toward the responding officer. The subject’s lethargy and vulgarity may have been attributed to his high level of intoxication. In addition to other law enforcement action taken, the subject was also issued a written criminal trespass so that he does not return to campus after his night in jail. Occurred on 06/17/15 at 12:31 AM. PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS, 10100 Burnet Theft: A UT student reported $10.00 was stolen from her wallet after she left the wallet unattended in a 1st floor computer lab located inside the Ferguson Laboratory Building. The victim told the officer cash had been stolen out of her wallet on two previous occasions when she left her wallet unattended in the same computer lab. Occurred on 06/12/15. Crime Prevention Tip: Fool me once; shame on you…For some reason that old adage just springs to the front of my mind. While it would be nice if we lived in a world where crimes did not happen and everyone could leave their property unattended and unsecured without worry of thefts, that just isn’t the case. There are plenty of people in this world who simply look for an opportunity to commit a theft. Leaving your property unattended and unsecured for even a few seconds puts it at risk for theft. SAN JACINTO RESIDENCE HALL, 309 East 21st Street Theft: A grey and silver Eddie Bauer bicycle was stolen while it was secured with a cable lock to the bicycle rack located on the northeast side of the dormitory. Loss value: $100.00. Occurred between 06/13/15 at 11:00 PM and 06/15/15 at 5:15 PM. UNION BUILDING, 2308 Whitis Theft: A blue Samsung Galaxy 3 cellular telephone was stolen after it was left inside a 3rd floor men’s restroom. Loss value: $70.00. Occurred on 06/16/15 between 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM. UNION BUILDING, 2308 Whitis Burglary of a Building: A UT staff member reported the theft of several beverages and “bags of chips” form a 3rd floor kitchen over the course of the previous week. The investigation revealed damage to a door leading into the kitchen. The damage rendered the door unsecured. Repair cost / Loss value: $2,000.00. Reported on 06/16/15 at 12:30 PM. The University of Texas Police Department responded to 13 Alarm Reports, 2 Fire Alarm Activations, 7 Suspicious Activity Reports, 5 Traffic Violations, 1 Non-Criminal Fire, 1 Welfare Concern Report, 1 Medical Emergency Assist Request and 5 Public Assist Requests between 06/16/15 and 06/17/15.
