Cash lifted from a pair of pants lying on the bleachers. iPods snatched out of backpacks. Cell phones swiped from the tops of lockers.

Over the last month a dozen thefts at Chaska High School have been reported to police. The bump in thefts at the school was recently reported by the CHS newspaper, Hawk Herald, and is keeping school resource officer (SRO) Mike Kleber busier than usual.

“Theft is a problem up there,” said Chaska Police Detective Sgt. Jon Kehrberg. “Not just this year, but for whatever reason, our SROs have been making a lot of reports in the last 30 days.”

“I’ve been writing a lot more reports on thefts,” said Kleber. “It does seem to be higher.”

Over the last three years, Chaska High School has reported an average of 55 thefts during the school year. Seven were reported the first month school was open this year.

“I don’t know what to attribute it to,” said Chaska High School Principal David Brecht, when asked about the increase. Brecht said school staff meets weekly to discuss issues like theft.

“We look for whether or not there is a trend,” he explained. “I think it’s theft by convenience a lot of the time.”

Kleber agreed. “Some kids are forgetful, neglectful,” he said, noting several cases of students leaving pricey electronics behind in open gym lockers, on desks and on top of locker banks only to return and find them gone.

“There are people who are going around looking,” he added.

“It’s hard to put the blame on any one thing other than thieves,” said Kehrberg.

As there are those on the lookout for iPods, calculators and cell phones to snatch, there are also people watching for potential thieves. In addition to school resource officers, Chaska High School is patrolled by hall monitors and watched by more than 60 security cameras. Even so, small gadgets seem to be easy targets for sticky fingers.

Brecht said that they have tried to educate students and encourage them to leave expensive personal items at home. But as long as cell phones and iPods are allowed in school, Brecht expects that students will continue to bring them.

“Technology is being incorporated more and more,” said Kehrberg. “It’s maybe not practical to tell them to leave things at home. I don’t know what the solution is.”

Chanhassen

Paul McMahon, principal at the new Chanhassen High School said he didn’t think his school was experiencing a similar rise in theft, though theft is certainly not unheard of there.

“No, it’s not a more perfect world across Lyman Boulevard,” he said.

Because of the small size of iPods and cell phones, McMahon said rather than ban them, they have settled on a “bring at your own risk” policy.

“We don’t encourage them to bring it,” he said.

Once a gadget is gone, the chances of it being recovered are not great.

“It all comes up to the morals and values of the person who finds it,” said Kleber. He investigates each report of theft he receives at the school but noted that the process is largely “hit or miss.”

“If there are no witnesses, no cameras, there’s not much to go on,” he said, citing three open cases sitting on his desk currently.

“We’re able to solve a lot of them,” said Brecht. “But not all of them.”

“We still put in the effort,” said Kehrberg. “A lot of other metro schools don’t [investigate theft].”

Neither Kleber nor Brecht thought that the recent rash of thefts was due to a theft ring however.

“It’s definitely multiple students,” said Kleber.

Those that are found to be in possession of stolen property are referred to the Carver County Attorney’s Office, Kehrberg noted, saying “Theft is not tolerable.”

-Mollee Francisco, staff writer

TALK ABOUT IT: Have you been a victim of theft at Chaska High School? What can be done to derail such crime in local schools?