Campus Safety Week in Review: September 25 – October 1, 2017

This week in Campus Safety news: A dumpster catches on fire, a student’s vehicle is stolen from campus and recovered, and a hit-and-run collision in the library parking lot is tracked down to find the culprit. Explore our interactive incident map to learn more.

9/26 Garfield Commons Fire

Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 10:50 PM
Location: Garfield Commons, Trash Dumpster
Synopsis: Campus Safety officers and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue firefighters responded to a dumpster fire in the Garfield Commons parking lot. The fire was first spotted by a Campus Safety video officer. Firefighters extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown.


9/27 South Hall Lot Vehicle Prowl

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2017, 11:15 AM
Location: South Hall Parking Lot
Synopsis: Campus Safety officers responded to the South Hall parking lot to collect a theft report from a student. The canopy window of the student’s truck had been broken and a cooler was stolen from the bed of the truck. Campus Safety video review was unsuccessful in locating a suspect.


9/28 Lute Locker Theft

Date: Thursday, September 28, 2017, 2:30 PM
Location: The Lute Locker at Anderson University Center
Synopsis: Campus Safety was contacted by an employee of the Lute Locker who reported two clothing items had been taken from the store area. Security camera review showed a potential suspect, a young African American female wearing all black who was in the area of the Lute Locker, opening and closing her backpack. No video footage showed items being placed into the bag. Campus Safety officers contacted two females matching the description in the Anderson University Center but neither were in possession of the items.


9/28 Nesvig Lot Vehicle Prowl

Date: Thursday, September 28, 2017, 5:30 PM
Location: Nesvig Parking Lot
Synopsis: A student reported that items had been stolen from her vehicle while parked in the Nesvig Parking Lot. No damage was caused to her vehicle. Campus Safety officers conducted a review of video footage with no results. No suspect information is available at this time.


9/28 Hovde House Officer Injury

Date: Thursday, September 28, 2017, 11:00 PM
Location: Hovde House, west stairs
Synopsis: A Campus Safety officer injured his ankle on a broken step while conducting a routine security check of the Hovde House (owned by Trinity Lutheran Church). The officer was treated with first aid and returned to work. An injury report form was completed. Trinity Lutheran Church was notified of the incident and a request was made to have the step repaired.


9/29 125th St. Vehicle Prowl

Date: Friday, September 29, 2017, 2:15 AM
Location: North side of 125th St. S, near Park Ave. S
Description: While on routine patrol, Campus Safety officers found a vehicle that had been broken-into on 125th St. S. The student owner was contacted and it was determined a few items were missing.


9/29 Hinderlie Marijuana Violation

Date: Friday, September 29, 2017, 11:40 PM
Location: Hinderlie Residence Hall
Synopsis: PLU Residential Life staff reported a marijuana violation in a resident room of Hinderlie Residence Hall. Campus Safety officers contacted the residents of the room who complied with a student-led room search where alcohol, a vaporizer used for marijuana, and a vaporizer used for nicotine were found. The students admitted they used vaporizers in the room and that [incomplete]. Alcohol and marijuana paraphernalia were disposed of according to PLU policy. The Resident Director on-duty was notified of the incident. This incident has been forwarded to PLU Student Rights & Responsibilities for review.


9/29 Columbia Center Vehicle Theft (Recovered)

Date: Friday, September 29, 2017, 1:50 AM
Location: Columbia Center Parking Lot, Center
Synopsis: A student reported a vehicle theft in the Columbia Center parking lot. Campus Safety officers reviewed video surveillance footage and determined that the vehicle had been taken by an unidentifiable white male at approximately 1:50 AM on September 29th. Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputies recovered and returned [complaintant]’s vehicle, which had been abandoned nearby.


10/1 Library Lot Hit-and-Run Collision

Date: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 9:48 AM
Location: Library Parking Lot, East end
Synopsis: Campus Safety was notified that there had been a hit-and-run vehicle collision between two vehicles in the Library Parking Lot. A guest of Trinity Lutheran Church had her Lexus struck by a red Dodge Charger. The Charger left the scene and was later located near the Wheeler Parking Lot. It was determined that the Charger belonged to a PLU student. The student was contacted via phone by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, and returned to her vehicle to discuss the incident with a deputy. A disc of video evidence was provided to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.


Incident data is provided to Mast Media by the PLU Department of Campus Safety. Specific information requests should be directed to campussafety@plu.edu. Campus Safety does not publish reports on false activations of fire, intrusion, or panic alarms. Incident synopses are edited for clarity and privacy purposes.

View all Campus Safety Incident Reports

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