Laptop computers are being stolen from the University of Minnesota campus at a steadily increasing rate. Recently, investigators completed a crime analysis of all laptop computers stolen from the campus during the 2005-2006 academic year. The results revealed the following facts:

• 79 laptop computers were stolen from the campus. Of those, 45 were the property of the UofM, and 34 were personally owned by people on campus.
• 59 of those laptops were stolen from unlocked offices, or public areas where people had left the laptop unattended for short periods of time. 20 were stolen from inside locked, secure areas. In 2 cases, laptops were stolen from people who had fallen asleep with their laptop in front of them.
• The approximate loss in dollars of all laptops stolen was $161,000.
• Shockingly, 75% of all laptop computer thefts would have been prevented if users had simply not left their property unattended.

The UMPD strongly urges laptop computer users on campus to take some simple precautions to prevent being victimized:

• Write down the make, model and serial number of your computer, and be prepared to give it to police immediately when reporting it stolen. We encourage UofM students, staff, and faculty to use their portfolio accounts for this.
• Back up valuable data frequently, and encrypt sensitive information. Often, thieves are merely interested in the hardware itself, but private data could be much more harmful to victims if accessed by the wrong people.
• Never leave your computer unattended, even for brief periods of time.
• Lock offices behind you when you leave, even if you will only be gone for a few minutes.
• Report suspicious persons using 9-1-1, or question people loitering near unattended laptops.