Asset Protection continues its dual goals of providing a safe environment for customers and employees as well as protecting the UCEN’s assets. To accomplish these goals, a trained co-ed staff monitors more than 150 cameras in our digital operations room. AP has assisted other universities, colleges, and retail businesses in starting or expanding their AP programs. The National Association of College Stores sells our AP-CD, which provides information to develop a successful asset protection program.
Asset Protection continues its Donation Program using markdowns and unsalable retail items. This year we delivered items to the Braille Institute, CALM, Unity Shop, and Women’s Shelter Services, to name a few.
Asset Protection made 250 stops and contacts for various offenses and/or assistance. In today’s economy we have seen a sharp increase in thefts. A common excuse this year is, “My parents don’t give me enough spending money.” Some of our more prominent cases follow:
Cross Country Crime Spree: Two lovebirds came up with a way to go on vacation for free. Just pack your bags, grab some old checks, and off you go! In May, Accounting brought us two checks, accepted by store cashiers three weeks prior, that came back from the bank as “Account Closed”. The checks, from two separate accounts, had the same perm number written on both. A review of the Bookstore’s video showed that a female purchased a $2400.00 laptop computer. She tried three different perm numbers and said she didn’t have any ID. Finally, she produced an old Florida driver’s license and a valid perm number. Soon after, a male came in, picked up a guitar, accessories, UCSB- branded clothes, and office supplies totaling $400.00. He gave the cashier a perm number, adding that he had left his ID at his dorm. The perm number supplied by both customers was identical and did not belong to either. The number, we learned, belonged to a student with no connection to the case.
Our investigation revealed that the suspects, both 29 years old, wrote checks from accounts that had been closed for more than a year. The female had covered her Florida address with a marking pen and inserted a fake local address in its place. Three separate perm numbers were written on the check. The male had written a fake drivers license number and perm number on his Los Angeles check.
Further research revealed that the female was wanted on an outstanding Florida warrant for check fraud and theft. She apparently fled Florida and traveled to Los Angeles. We discovered that a Texas college reported a female had written bad checks for a computer and books. With that information, we were able to track the female suspect from Panama City Beach, FL to Hollywood, CA. The female suspect met up with the male suspect in Hollywood. They then targeted UCLA, USC, CSU, and UCSB. We sent a “list serve” warning to all colleges and universities on the west coast. From the schools that contacted AP, we were able to establish a pattern and route. From Hollywood they headed north. We tracked them through CA, Oregon, Washington, and just missed them by a day in Idaho. We learned that the female had attended a university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The male was from Oregon. We felt they were heading to Iowa where her family resides. We directed all the stores that our suspects had hit to contact their police department and reference our case number. In doing so, we became the central hub monitoring and tracking their crime spree.
By this point, we had located their MySpace and Facebook accounts. These social networking sites are a treasure trove of information. Using UCSB Bookstore photos of the thefts, we were able to match and make positive IDs of both suspects. Their postings and pictures revealed that the duo would come into a town and purchase the local school’s sweatshirt or tee shirt so they would look like students. Then, they returned to purchase computers, high dollar books, and other items. The merchandise was put on Craigslist and sold. The suspects remained in each town for one to two weeks to enjoy the sites before moving on.
We warned store managers across the northwest, and sent photos of the suspects. One of the Montana college stores we had contacted called to say the suspects had just come into their store. Store personnel refused to take the check and attempted to hold them for the police. The suspects fled, but the manager was able to get a photo of the car they were driving. Unfortunately, he was unable to get a license plate number.
The pair went off the radar for two weeks without updating their social networking pages. By this time, arrest warrants for numerous crimes in eleven states had been issued. Finally, during a routine traffic stop in Sacramento CA, they were arrested on the warrants. Police reports are still rolling in. As it stands, our suspects have stolen in excess of $25,000 dollars in merchandise.
Just wanting to leave their mark: two high school seniors ditched school in order to promote their gang affiliation. On their way to UCSB, they tagged numerous locations. The two entered the Bookstore and stole $275.00 in fat markers, colored art markers, sharpies, and binders with art paper to practice and hone their skill. Additional binders found in their backpacks provided a wealth of information for high school and law enforcement officials.
Girls just wanna have fun……shopping: a freshman and her friend came into the Bookstore to do some shopping at the start of summer. In August, Accounting came to us with seven checks that were returned to the store for insufficient funds in the amount of $1715.00. The freshman female had taken her mother’s extra checks before coming to UCSB. The two came into the Bookstore five times buying clothing, supplies, iPods, and more. They took turns writing checks, and also visited the Cashiers where they received cash. Once we had the checks in hand, and located video of the girls writing the checks, we called them in. But first, we contacted the mother and sent her pictures of the two writing the checks. She identified her daughter and the friend. The mothers of both young women traveled to the SB County Jail where they bailed the pair out of jail. The drive back home, all six hours of it, must have been an interesting trip.
And our Dumbest Criminal Award of 2009: a male shopper was seen picking up a book downstairs and then staring at a security camera. He walked to a corner of the store, took off his backpack, removed his sunglasses, and placed both book and glasses into his pack. Emboldened, the shopper selected two additional books and slipped them in his backpack, all-the-while looking at another security camera. He strolled out of the Bookstore at the lower exit near the Post Office. During our interview, he admitted that he came into the Bookstore with the intent to steal the books, valued at $528, for his girlfriend. He added that “he had not committed a crime because he never exited the Bookstore”, and “it wouldn’t be considered a felony because it wasn’t more than $700.00. “ He said “we should check our facts” and boasted “law tends to be a hobby of mine.” When he learned the police had been called, he tried to leave the AP office. Detained, he opened his wallet and said, “Is there anything I can do for you?”, and asked that we “delete the tapes”.
When the police arrived, we informed him that because he entered the Bookstore with the intent to commit a crime, and then stole merchandise with value greater than $399, he would be charged with both felony burglary and grand theft. So, off he went to jail, no doubt to help the inmates with their legal woes.
