There has been a recent surge in on-campus theft at the UW, with a string of incidents in the Suzzallo, Allen and Odegaard libraries.

According to the UWPD, college campuses, particularly large ones like the UW, are often targets for thieves. As high-traffic areas that are open to the public, libraries can be hotbeds of petty theft.

"We have a lot of students in the libraries and they are concentrating on studying," UWPD Assistant Chief Ray Wittmier said. "They are in an open area where anyone can wander in."

Students often have backpacks with various valuables inside: laptops, textbooks, cell phones and iPods. When these belongings are abandoned, theft is likely to occur.

"What we find is that people will wander around and wait for someone to get up and go to the restroom, and then steal their stuff," the assistant police chief said.

Whittmier also said these thieves specifically target universities.

"Unfortunately, we get people that sort of specialize," he said.

In the last few weeks of winter quarter, there were several incidents on the second and third floors of the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, reported the UWPD. One student had his cell phone stolen when he fell asleep while reading. Another had his laptop stolen while he was in the restroom. Yet another returned from the restroom only to find his backpack — which contained textbooks, a camera and a valuable tool kit — had been stolen.

"Most students think they are in a safe environment," said Barbara Arrowsmith, a library technician at Suzallo. "Students just get up and leave their backpacks for minute, you know, they get up and go to the bathroom. They think it's safe because there are a lot of people around."

The campus libraries' locations are also a factor in theft.

"When backpacks are stolen, it's people trying to get cash fast," Arrowsmith said. "They can steal a laptop or a backpack and, then, the Ave is right there. They don't have to go far."

College campuses may be seen as an easy target for thieves throughout Seattle. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) recently broke up a large theft ring operating out of Capitol Hill that hit Seattle University with a string of burglaries.

The group, which included six men and one woman, mostly went after laptops and audio/visual equipment, as well as wallets stocked with students' cash and credit cards.

The thieves were also responsible for stealing a bronze figure valued at $16,000 from a UW fraternity, as well as equipment from the Swedish Medical Center.

This particular group consisted of methamphetamine addicts. The driving force behind the crime ring was drugs, the SPD told The Seattle Times.

It's not clear whether the thefts at the UW are related to this group or to drug addiction, but the UWPD believes these thieves are not UW students.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time, these people are non-students," Wittmier said. "In fact, we arrest the same people over and over again, and when we compare our arrests with other schools in Seattle — like Seattle University, SPU, Seattle Central — we find it's a lot of the same people all over town."

Wittmier also said there is a good chance the same person or group of people committed all of these recent thefts.

"We tend to find that people who steal things here keep coming back again and again," he said.

Students are advised to keep a close watch on their valuables. Despite the hassle, students should take the time to pack up their belongings and take them to the restroom or anywhere else they may venture.

"Students should think of libraries like they think of an airport," said Arrowsmith. "You wouldn't leave your stuff unattended."

Reach reporter Siv Prince at news@thedaily.washington.edu.