Information for Theft VictimsThe University Police Department regrets your loss and wishes to assist you in every way possible. We often coordinate our criminal investigations with other law enforcement agencies. If the offense took place on-campus, it is not necessary for you to also report it to another law enforcement agency. The criminal incident you have reported to The University Police Department will be investigated by our officers. Normally, for such an investigation to be successful, an investigating agency needs some or all of the following elements: · Evidence · Witnesses or Suspects · Serial numbers or identifying markings · Other such information or leads. Serial numbers or identifying markings are vitally important for the possible recovery of stolen property. Stolen items with such identification are often recovered through pawn shops, police arrests or by the National Crime Information Computer. If you are not certain of the serial number of a valuable item, such information can often be found from maintenance agreements, packing boxes, from the manufacturer or seller, warranty cards or purchase agreements. Actions to be taken:If Personal information was stolen for example from a purse, book bag or wallet you may need to take additional steps to ensure your information can not be used to commit additional crimes or you become a victim of Identity Theft. · Banks and Credit Card Companies should be contacted and advised that the accounts numbers were stolen. These companies will walk you through what you will need to do. You would also want to contact all three credit bureaus and place a ‘Fraud Alert’ on your bureaus. Most banks maintain a web site with phone numbers available. · Cell Phones carriers should be contacted and advised that the phone has been stolen. · ID Cards. For a University ID cards, contact the ID center to have the card canceled and a new card issued. How to report additional information:Often the victim of a crime may obtain or encounter information that might be helpful to an investigation after the crime has been reported to the police. Such information may include new witnesses, values of property stolen, additional victims, etc. Moreover, a frequent problem in theft cases involves the victim not reporting stolen property he may have recovered at some later date. Such oversights may create problems if the victim later transfers the property’s ownership or the item is discovered by police. If you do have any other additional information, please call or contact the University Police Department at 662-915-7234 and ask for Investigations. The University of Mississippi does not carry insurance for the theft of personal property. If personal property has been stolen from you, we suggest you contact your insurance agent for possible coverage from homeowners or automobile insurance. We will send a copy of the incident report to your insurance company upon their request. If our investigation is successful and an offender is identified and/or property recovered, we will need your continued cooperation. You may be required to identify the property and it may be necessary to impound it until after a prosecution or investigation is completed. An officer will assist you at every step of the criminal justice system. We will do everything within our knowledge and resources to solve the crime and apprehend the offender. We are equally concerned, however, that this offense does not reoccur to you or another member of the university community. Additional ReferencesIdentity Theft: http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ http://www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml
|