Property of Fayard Hall: a pilot study on situational theft prevention on the university campus

Chernoff, William A.

doi:10.1057/s41300-019-00080-8

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…While understanding risk in conventionally risky areas, such as libraries (McKay, 2008 ; Simmons, 2018 ; Wortley & McFarlane, 2011 ) and parking lots (del Carmen & Stretesky, 1997 ; Tseng et al, 2004 ) is important, other locations exist on campus that could generate a false sense of security, encouraging theft (Kijanczuk, 2014 ). Similar to previous research (Chernoff, 2020 , 2021 ), the present study shows that theft can be reduced in classrooms, areas where risk is generally perceived to be lower (Kijanczuk, 2014 ). The focus on classrooms is even more important given the recent introduction of lightweight, high demand targets of theft, such as web cameras.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Future research could better differentiate displacement effects from diffusion effects by monitoring several desirable targets or outcomes in the classrooms (Sidebottom et al, 2017 ). Signage could target a specific item, such as dry erase markers (Chernoff, 2020 ), and see if these thefts increase or diminish in addition to web cameras.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Focusing on the situational nature of theft, campus crime scientists have sought to identify theft prevention strategies tailored to different contexts (Chernoff, 2020 , 2021 ; Clarin et al, 2014 ; Nettle et al, 2012 ; Wortley & McFarlane, 2011 ), including libraries (McKay, 2008 ; Simmons, 2018 ; Wortley & McFarlane, 2011 ), parking lots (del Carmen & Stretesky, 1997 ; Tseng et al, 2004 ), classrooms (Chernoff, 2020 , 2021 ), bicycle racks (Nettle et al, 2012 ; Sidebottom et al, 2009 ), and green spaces (Clarin et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Campus Theft Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some cases, greater emphasis is placed on the targets of theft themselves (Chernoff, 2020 ; 2021 ; Clarin et al, 2014 ; Fanno, 1997 ; Kleberg, 2002 ; Wortley & McFarlane, 2011 ; Zhang et al, 2014 ). Wortley and McFarlane ( 2011 ) argued that, in the library context, print cards are necessary for printing assignments, and needed with greater urgency as deadlines approach.…”

Section: Campus Theft Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The new normal of web camera theft on campus during COVID-19 and the impact of anti-theft signage

Chernoff

2021

Crime Sci

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Objective The opportunity for web camera theft increased globally as institutions of higher education transitioned to remote learning during COVID-19. Given the thousands of cameras currently installed in classrooms, many with little protection, the present study tests the effectiveness of anti-theft signage for preventing camera theft. Methods Examined web camera theft at a southern, public university located in the United States of America by randomly assigning N = 104 classrooms to receive either anti-theft signage or no signage. Camera theft was analyzed using Blaker’s exact test. Results Classrooms not receiving anti-theft signage (control) were 3.42 times more likely to exhibit web camera theft than classrooms receiving anti-theft signage (medium effect size). Conclusions Using classrooms as the unit of analysis presents new opportunities for not only future crime prevention experiments, but also improving campus safety and security. Also, preventing web camera theft on campus is both fiscally and socially responsible, saving money and ensuring inclusivity for remote learners.

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