UTPD reported a credit card theft at Gregory Gym on Sunday, the second credit card theft report at the gym within a two-week period.

According to the report, the theft occurred between 9:50 a.m. Friday and 6:10 p.m. Sunday. Officer William Pieper said the victim reported there has been one fraudulent charge made to the card since being stolen.

On Jan. 30, UTPD arrested a student outside Gregory Gym for credit card or debit card abuse after reviewing security camera footage and records from a card proximity reader. Pieper said the same methods could be used to investigate Sunday’s theft.

“It’s up to the detective who was assigned that case, and they have a variety of different techniques they can use,” Pieper said.

Surveillance cameras can be used to identify suspects, and card proximity readers keep records of swipe-ins, which can tell officers who was in the gym at any given time. The department can also use subpoenas to locate suspects.

“If it’s a credit card or debit card that’s used to make a purchase, sometimes they’ll have it delivered some place and then we can get a
subpoena for that PO box or that address to find out who lives there,” Pieper said.

Pieper said theft out of the gym is a common occurrence because of students’ tendency to leave items unsecured in lockers.

“Theft at Gregory Gym is very common, not just of credit or debit cards, but cash, iPods and clothing,” Pieper said. “There are a variety of different things that students come with and leave unsecured in their lockers or on the
basketball courts.”

UTPD will continue to focus on public education as a means of crime prevention, according to Pieper.

“As far as prevention is concerned, we always look at public information programs like the campus watch, media stories and things of that nature,” Pieper said.