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Dona Ana Branch Hit by Expensive Burglary
Adam Middleditch
photo/print
Students and faculty of Dona Ana Branch Community College may have enjoyed the relative decisiveness of election night this year, but attitudes may have been different had they known about the video editing equipment being stolen from their school that night.
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John Hernandez, left, and Jerry Gersving of OFS Locksmith Shop install a new keypad lock on the door of a computer lab in the digital imaging and design department on November 12.
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According to Rebecca Kongs, department chair of digital imaging and design, 12 high-end Macintosh G5 computers were stolen, along with several pieces of other equipment such as several flat-panel monitors. Kongs estimates the total losses exceed than $25,000.
Many students who use the computers for classes lost everything. As a contingency, six older G4 computers were scrounged from around the school and will be used until the original equipment can be replaced. Students are now forced to team up and schedule staggered access times to use these machines for their projects.
However, this crime won’t exclusively affect college students.
“The film and video high school students also use this room, and they (the robbers) hurt them too,” Kongs said.
Although the department initially spent approximately $25,000 for the equipment stolen, falling technology costs have taken the edge off the original price. Kongs estimates the replacement of the items will cost $22,000 to $23,000.
The case is still under investigation by the New Mexico State University Police Department. Kongs reports authorities discovered a fingerprint on the shopping cart allegedly used to transport the heavy and bulky equipment.
This is the second time in the past six months room 101 has been hit by burglars. Apparently, new locks and extra supervision weren’t enough to keep the equipment safe. However, in light of this most recent theft, more cautious measures are being taken to protect the equipment.
The lab was first burglarized in July, when two G5 computers were stolen. According to Kongs, the locks were changed and rules were added to make sure that no students were allowed in the rooms unsupervised. The burglars got around both of these measures the second time by striking at a time when the building was empty and by simply breaking the lock with brute force.
“I don’t know who it was. Obviously someone knew that was the room that we have the higher-end equipment in,” Kongs said. “They know what they’re after because we have rooms of really high-end PCs.”
For future prevention, heavy duty keypad locks have been installed on the doors of the video editing lab. Individualized codes have been assigned to the few faculty members who have access to this lab. The new locks will keep a running record of who had access to the lab at what time. Also, the wooden doors used until now will be replaced with much stronger steel ones. To top it off, a security alarm system will be installed and the room will be under constant video surveillance.
“The room’s been hit – twice – but it won’t be hit again,” Kongs promised.
The department is now focusing on getting the equipment replaced and finishing classes affected by the incident.
“It’s just sad because they stole from the students,” Kongs said. “It’s just pathetic.”
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