A new laptop security device now offered by the U of T campus police aims to curb campus laptop thefts, ninety per cent which befall students, according to U of T campus police Const. Peter Franchi.
A “security plate” with a tracking number is stuck onto your laptop, using very sticky glue. Even if thieves pry it off, an indelible tattoo underneath will inform any and all that the piece of equipment is stolen.
The plates are offered by an American company called STOP (Security Tracking of Office Property), and in June, U of T became the first university in Canada to take up STOP. Franchi said that about 900 STOP plates have been sold so far, mainly to faculty members.
“Professional thieves are not interested in the laptop itself, only in its resale value on the open market,” he said.
According to him, administrators at American institutions such as MIT, Harvard, and Yale have reported dramatic drops in laptop thefts after taking up the program.
Franchi describes it as a preventative and reactive measure to protect student equipment. “You are not only protecting your $2,000 investment, you’re also protecting the intellectual property inside it.”
STOP plates are available for purchase at the Campus Police office at 21 Sussex Ave., Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. STOP plates will be sold at various locations and events during orientation week, and Franchi expects that U of T computer shop in the Koffler Centre to carry them by the end of September.
