A University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, employeeâÄôs wallet was stolen from her office in the Mayo Building on Thursday.
Amanda Guspiel left her office for a few minutes and found a man looking through the belongings on her desk.
Guspiel asked the man if he needed help with something, but the man replied, âÄúNo,âÄù and walked out of the office.
âÄúIt all happened in, like, 20 seconds,âÄù said Guspiel. âÄúAt the time, I didnâÄôt know if he was taking anything and didnâÄôt want to accuse [him] without knowing.âÄù
When Guspiel realized her wallet was stolen from her purse, she contacted security, but it was too late. The suspect could not be found.
Guspiel said she feels âÄúreally violatedâÄù as a result of the incident. She finds herself questioning whether people in the hospital belong there.
âÄúI look at badges to identify people,âÄù she said.
University police Chief Greg Hestness encouraged University students and faculty to exercise caution with their belongings.
âÄúDonâÄôt walk away from your desk with your purse in the top drawer unlocked,âÄù he said. DonâÄôt be afraid to challenge people who donâÄôt belong in the area. This doesnâÄôt have to be confrontational âÄî ask if you could help.âÄù
Car broken into at U contract parking lot
A University of Minnesota studentâÄôs car parked in a University contract parking lot near the SuperBlock was broken into last Wednesday morning.
A rear window of the car was broken, and a necklace and a small amount of change were stolen from the car, according to the police report.
The parking lot at 910 Essex St. has two security cameras installed. Unfortunately, the incident wasnâÄôt recorded because neither of the cameras were working well at the time, according to the report. No witnesses saw the incident.
Steve Jorgenson, assistant director of the UniversityâÄôs Department of Central Security, said when one of its cameras is reported to be damaged, Central Security sends a technical services unit within the department to solve the problem.
Jorgenson said Central Security solves a technical problem, âÄúas soon as we possibly could.âÄù
University police Chief Deputy Chuck Miner said the cameras are generally well-maintained, and it âÄúcould be that [the camera] wasnâÄôt in the right position or angle to capture the incident.âÄù