By GINA BLASER
While theft is decreasing on the BYU campus, 493 thefts were reported in 1996, according to the University Annual Statistical Summary Report.
'Theft differs from other crimes because it follows more of a pattern,' said Wayne Beck, crime prevention specialist at BYU.
Theft usually increases near the end of a semester, before holidays and in the summer, Beck said.
During the last three weeks of a semester, book theft increases dramatically, Beck said. A thief will often take an unattended book from a student and sell the book to the bookstore during the 'buyback' period.
Unattended backpacks and wallets are also taken from unsuspecting students near the end of a semester.
Bike theft heats up right along with the warm weather, Beck said. More students riding bikes to campus provides thieves with ample opportunities to steal them.
'Approximately 60 percent of on-campus thieves are nonstudents,' Beck said.
Student Roxanne Switzer had her $350 bike stolen from campus. Her lock was not working and she thought it would be okay to leave her bike in a rack near the Testing Center.
When Switzer returned to her bike, the only thing she found was her chain lock on the ground.
'I thought BYU was safe,' she said.
Bike thefts fall into three categories, according to a survey done by Princeton University
Unlocked bikes and those locked with inexpensive chain locks are the most vulnerable targets for thieves. Expensive mountain bikes -- locked to themselves with expensive locks -- are usually carried away to a waiting car.
The survey suggests that bike owners register their bike to decrease the chance of theft and increase the chance of recovery. Another suggestion to bike owners is to always lock their bike to an immovable object with a U-bolt-style lock.
Computer theft is also taking off, according to the Campus Crime Stopper Report in 1996. One expert in technology security with CCS estimates that by the year 2000, computer component theft will be an $8 billion business world wide.