By Kim Flores, Staff writer
There is a growing problem at Indian Trail High School & Academy: stealing. So far, 28 laptops have been stolen this year. And it isn’t just laptops. Wallets, iPods, purses, shoes, and even jackets have been taken all around the school.
“More of the high end, trendy jackets are being stolen,” said Page Kessler, Indian Trail’s instructional technology specialist.
No one has been arrested or charged for the laptop thefts, but school authorities have an idea of who the thieves may be.
Depending on what the person stole, they could be issued a ticket or even be arrested. Stealing a laptop is a misdemeanor theft, which is a crime.
“The biggest thing is for students to watch it. If you don’t have it in your hands, then don’t leave it alone,” said Officer Eric Block, Indian Trail’s school resource officer.
“Don’t leave the laptop alone to go talk to someone on the other side of the room,” said Kessler.
Students should also be more careful when they leave their lockers and make sure it’s closed.
“Lock your locker. That’s a huge reason why they get stolen,” said Kessler.
She also advises to not leave laptops at the lunch table or in a friend’s locker.
“You can leave it there thinking your friends are going to watch it, but they might get up to get lunch too,” said Kessler. “It’s that time you let your guard down that it’s going to go missing.”
“Don’t leave it in front of your teacher’s classroom to go to the bathroom. Make sure the teacher is in there first,” she said.
Even if it isn’t really the students’ fault, they will still have to pay for the laptop since they are in charge of it.
Dustin Mattox, a Biotechnology Academy senior, knows what getting a laptop stolen feels like first hand.
While working in the library one day, he stepped a few feet away from his laptop. When he got back to the table, his laptop was nowhere to be found.
“I wondered if I put it somewhere else, and then I asked the librarian if she saw anyone take it off the table,” said Mattox.
School authorities are checking the library’s security cameras to see if they can catch the thief that stole Mattox’s laptop.
Michelle Anderson, an Indian Trail Communications Academy junior, also got her laptop stolen.
“Mine got stolen out of my locked locker,” said Anderson. “The cameras around there didn’t work, so I don’t know who did it.”
Not only did it affect her emotionally, but it also hurt her academically.
“I was scared because it was the week before finals, and I had just finished my Graphic Design final.” said Anderson. “My grades also went down because of it.”
Luckily, school officials allowed her to borrow a loaner laptop the day of the final.
“Students who have insurance for the laptop are better off; they won’t have to pay as much,” said Kessler.
Juniors and seniors who have had their laptop stolen and who haven’t had any laptop issues may be able to pay less than what the laptop originally cost.
“We are trying to get the resale value of the laptops to reduce the cost of what the student will owe,” said Kessler.
Meanwhile, Indian Trail security is trying its best to help get the students’ stolen laptops back and prevent future thefts.
“We watch as much as we can. We try to check the cameras all the time,” said Block.
Even though there isn’t really a way to stop the stealing, it can be prevented.
“Theft is a crime of opportunity. Don’t give someone the opportunity to steal something from you,” said Block.