Police cited two men for trespassing on University of Minnesota property this week.
On Thursday night, a man was arrested for trespassing on campus. Coffman Union employees called police just before 10:30 p.m. because the man appeared to be intoxicated and was making staff members feel uncomfortable.
When police arrived at Coffman, they identified the man and found he’d already trespassed on campus multiple times, according to the report. Police arrested the man because they didn’t think he would respond to a citation.
On Saturday afternoon, staff in Diehl Hall Library contacted University police because there was a man in the building who they recognized from previous trespassing incidents.
The man is a “frequent flyer,” or frequent trespasser, at the University, University police Lt. Dave Wilske said.
“He never has legitimate business here,” he said.
According to the report, the man had already been issued a trespass warning banning him from buildings on the University’s East Bank.
In the past, Wilske said, police have given the man trespass warnings for disruptive behavior, such as clogging toilets with toilet paper.
The man was given a new trespass warning following Saturday’s incident, according to the report.
Wilske said on-campus trespassing is common.
When someone is issued a trespass warning, he or she is typically banned from campus buildings for a year, Wilske said. If they return, they’re ticketed for trespassing.
Wilske said police have “some leniency” with trespass warnings and typically don’t cite visitors unless they cause problems.
“Generally, if they’re not causing disturbances, we don’t get involved,” he said.
Bike thefts
At least four University students reported their bikes stolen last weekend, which Wilske said is an increase from previous weekends.
The increase could be related to the warmer weather over the weekend, he said.
In one incident, fisheries and wildlife senior Marc Franzen locked his bike to a railing outside his house in Marcy-Holmes at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday and left for work. When he returned from work at about 9:30 p.m., the bike was gone and the wood rail the bike had been locked to was broken. The bike’s estimated value is $800.
Franzen said he doesn’t hear much about bike thefts on campus.
“I feel like we only hear about major crimes,” he said. “The theft of a bicycle doesn’t affect that many people.”
Ecology, evolution and behavior freshman Lea Graber also had her bike stolen over the weekend. She noticed the bike, a blue hybrid Bianchi Torino valued at $500, missing from the racks outside Middlebrook Hall on Sunday.
Graber left her bike locked up for a few days with a cable lock, which she thinks is partially to blame for the theft.
“I take a little bit of fault for the whole not-using-a-U-lock thing,” she said.
Wilske said using a U-lock does help prevent theft.
“The best advice I can give you is buy a very expensive lock and a very inexpensive bicycle,” he said.
Graber said she’s hopeful that police will be able to locate her bike with the serial number she provided.
“I think the University police department will do what they can,” she said.
Police have caught several bike thieves this year, Wilske said, attributing success to the bait bike program, which attracts thieves with bikes that police place and monitor.
Anna Kuny, a speech, language and hearing sciences sophomore, noticed the frame and back wheel of her bike missing from the bike rack outside her Marcy-Holmes apartment Sunday morning. The front tire was still locked to the rack.
The bike had been secured with a U-lock since Wednesday, but Kuny said she didn’t notice it missing until Sunday because she doesn’t typically walk by the bike rack.
Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer said in addition to having a good lock, it’s important to store bikes in visible locations or inside, if possible.
“Buy the best lock you can afford,” he said, “and put your bicycle somewhere it’s a little more visible.”
