The following summary includes all major incidents reported to the Department of Public Safety between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6. It does not include general service and alarm calls. The Providence Police Department also responds to incidents occurring off campus. DPS does not divulge information on open cases that are currently under investigation by the department, PPD or the Office of Student Life. DPS maintains a daily log of all shift activity and general service calls which can be viewed during business hours at its headquarters, located at 75 Charlesfield St.
Thursday, Jan. 31:2:43 p.m. An officer was dispatched to investigate the larceny of a laptop in the GeoChem building. The reporting person stated that a laptop was stolen from a lab. The cable lock was pulled off the back of the laptop, which was found to be missing at 8:30 a.m. There was no sign of forced entry.
9:34 p.m. A Facilities Management supervisor stated that a vacuum cleaner was left secured in the first floor closet of Manning Hall on Jan. 28 at approximately 4 p.m. He returned at about 3 p.m. on Jan. 29 to discover that the vacuum cleaner was not in the closet. There was no sign of forced entry.
Friday, Feb. 1:1:25 p.m. A Brown researcher reported one personal and one University laptop stolen. He said that midnight on Feb. 1 was the last time he noticed both laptops in his office in the BioMed Center. On Feb. 1 at 1 p.m., he noticed both computers missing. The room was not locked. There are no suspects at this time.
Saturday, Feb. 2:4:38 p.m. A student stated that while playing basketball in the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, he observed two males standing by his jacket, which was on the floor with his wallet in it. He said that when he wasn't looking, his jacket was moved. When he checked, he noticed that his wallet was taken and the two males were gone. An area check for the suspects turned up nothing.
9:12 p.m. A student stated that while sitting in the Rockefeller Library he heard a loud bang on a window. It was determined that the cause of the damage was thrown rocks. No one was injured.
Sunday, Feb. 3:12:45 a.m. An officer was approached by a male student who stated that he was egged. The student said a white Nissan Altima was driving on Thayer Street in the direction of George Street. The victim stated that he was hit with an egg from the vehicle. The victim also said that at about 11 p.m., his friend was in the same general area. The friend also had an egg thrown at him, but the egg did not strike him. The friend confirmed that the car matched the description of the white Nissan Altima. The victim had some marks on his face but refused medical attention.
2:03 a.m. Roommates reported that several items had been taken from their dorm room in Goddard House between the hours of 10 p.m. on Feb. 2 and 1 a.m. on Feb. 3. A student said when he left the room he thought he locked the door. When they returned later the room was open and they discovered that an iPod and two brand new silver laptop computers had been taken from the room.
Monday, Feb. 4:12:55 p.m. An officer observed a broken storm window on the south side of Arnold Lounge. The glass was shattered and there were large shards of glass hanging from the window and on top of the air conditioner. It is unclear how the window was broken. Facilities Management was notified.
1:46 p.m. A Residential Life employee reported six large screens cut and an exit sign damaged on Jan. 31 on the second floor of Woolley Hall.
6:49 p.m. The reporting person stated that when she entered room 043 in Wayland House she noticed two industrial-style paper towel dispensers on the floor. She said one was from room 043, a communal kitchen area, and the second appeared to be from room 044, an adjacent men's restroom. She stated she believed the dispensers were damaged between the evening of Feb. 3 and 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 4. Facilities management was notified.
9:38 p.m. An officer was dispatched to Goddard House to respond to a report of stolen property. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a Brown student who stated that he left his room on Feb. 2 at approximately 11 a.m. and returned on Feb. 3 at approximately 12 p.m. to find his laptop missing. He reported that he left his door unlocked. His laptop was registered with Operation ID. There are no suspects at this time.
Tuesday, Feb. 5:2:27 p.m. A student said she locked her bike to the handrail outside Smith-Buonanno Hall on Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. When she returned on Jan. 23 she noticed it missing. The bike was not registered with Operation ID.
2:28 p.m. An employee said that a projector was last seen on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Faculty Club. On Jan. 16 at 10 a.m., she noticed the projector missing. The employee said that the Faculty Club was closed for the holidays from Dec. 21 to Jan. 11. There are no suspects at this time.
Wednesday, Feb. 6:3:42 p.m. Officers were dispatched for a report of a suspicious person last seen walking toward Thayer Street. An officer spoke with the reporting person, a student, who stated that his laptop was stolen from his room in Goddard House. Another student reported seeing the suspect walking in the hall after he may have taken the laptop. Another student spoke to the suspect as he left the building. DPS officers checked the area and did not locate the suspect.
4:16 p.m. A DPS officer was on patrol searching for a suspect involved in an earlier incident. While turning into a lot behind 175 Benefit Street to turn around, she saw a vehicle quickly exiting the parking lot. As she pulled into the lot, she saw the vehicle turn around. The operator pulled his vehicle into the lot and parked at a 45 degree angle to the police cruiser. The operator exited his car and accused the officer of being on private property and told her that he was going to arrest her. The officer exited her car at the same time. She told the driver that she was looking for a suspect and that by blocking her in, he was keeping her from her job. She was unable to move the cruiser as there was only one way to exit the lot. A witness walked across the lot, and the vehicle operator told the witness that he was on private property, and they exchanged some words. The officer asked the witness to leave and he walked to the end of the property.
While the officer made a phone call to her supervisor, the operator backed his car up towards her, almost striking her, and then drove forward. He turned around and drove toward her in a manner that indicated that he was going to hit her. The officer told the driver that he could not leave the lot. He accelerated as he continued to drive his car in her direction. The officer was afraid that he was going to hit her as he drove within a few feet of her before changing his direction. As he drove by, the officer reached out to grab the door handle so that she could arrest him. He continued to speed away, crossing Meeting Street and the lot between Meeting Street and South Court Street. He took a left onto South Court Street and then a right onto Benefit Street. Providence Police responded to the scene. The case is being handled by PPD detectives.
5:01 p.m. A student stated that her laptop and iPod were stolen out of her room in Goddard House between 1:50 p.m. and 4 p.m., during which time she was downstairs in the kitchen. When she returned, her items were missing.
5:45 p.m. A student stated that at approximately 5:25 p.m. she left her laptop on a desk in the southwest corner of the basement of the Rockefeller Library. She left the area for approximately 10 minutes to get a drink. When she returned, the laptop, which was not registered with DPS, was missing.
9:12 p.m. A student stated that at approximately 5:45 p.m. he was on the second floor of the Sciences Library studying at the middle section study cubicle. He said he turned around to use the computer behind him, approximately eight feet away. When he turned around approximately 45 minutes later, his laptop was
missing. He asked the students in the area but they stated that no one saw anyone take his laptop. His laptop was not registered with DPS. There are no suspects at this time.
