According to a University Police press release, since September, Gary Moreno has allegedly stolen more than $13,000 worth of equipment from Sequoia Hall. Regardless of who owned the equipment, the message is clear and shouldn’t be too surprising: Watch your belongings if you don’t want them stolen.

That’s just common sense, right?

Moreno was charged with being in possession of copied California State University building keys when he was caught trying to break into Calaveras Hall back in 2006.

More than a year ago, Moreno made the smart choice of not being caught with anything but his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. This time, with 13 separate burglaries on campus being alleged against him, it looks like he was trying to make off with the bakery.

“We had a pretty good idea who it was,” said campus police Lt. Daniel Davis.

With good reason, too.

Since 2005, Moreno has allegedly been on a thieving stint with charges ranging from grand theft to forgery to possession of stolen property. All of these charges were felonious.

Moreno is not a student on campus, even though he looks like one, said Davis.

Davis said plans for renovating halls with new locks are currently being discussed. The price tag is estimated being more than $1,000, Davis said.

The State Hornet reported last week that vehicle thefts have more than doubled since 2005 at Sac State. The story raised concerns about the safety of students’ belongings on campus.

Students need to be aware that their belongings could quickly become someone else’s belongings in the passing of minutes. College is supposed to be a preparation for the real world, and in the real world, there are criminals who make a living off stealing. It should come as no surprise to anyone that expensive laboratory equipment is a possible target to a burglar.

This is not to suggest that students need to be in constant fear for their private property, only a strong reminder that things do get stolen and we all need to be aware of our surroundings. There is no need to hire more police or install security cameras in every classroom. Rather, the campus community needs to pull together to ensure the safety of the services we are entitled to.

Sac State is a public campus. As students, we need to make sure that the property of this campus is not stolen, tampered with or destroyed. Even though the equipment may not personally belong to us, we all have the right to use it to benefit our education. Students need to be willing to look out for suspicious activity and report any possible theft to campus police. After all, if you don’t think you’re paying for it, think again.

The State Hornet Staff can be reached at [email protected].