DUMMERSTON — Locked doors and a locked computer cart did not prevent thieves from stealing 28 computers worth approximately $34,000 from the Dummerston School on the night of June 19 and June 20.
“Most schools [in the area] have alarm systems,” Vermont State Trooper Genevra Cushman said, adding Dummerston is unusual in this respect.
According to Cushman, one or more intruders broke a window lock and entered the school.
Locked doors prevented the thief or thieves from entering the classrooms via the hallway. They went back outside and found an unlocked window that happened to be a classroom with a computer cart containing 24 laptops.
They took bolt cutters to the computer cart and removed the laptops. They also took four iMacs from different desks in the classroom and library.
“That was the astounding part. They took their time and came prepared,” Dummerston School Principal Jo Carol Ratti said.
“Normally what we see [in schools] is vandalism,” Cushman said.
Cushman said the State Police suspect the thieves were acquainted with the school's layout because they accessed the library through a blind side door off the administration offices that students are not allowed to use and most casual visitors don't notice.
“[Security systems are] just so expensive, but I think we'll just have to take the plunge,” Ratti said.
Many school administrators wrestle with balancing school security against maintaining an open public institution.
Ratti said the issue plays on her thoughts constantly. She said she wants to create a welcoming environment to let visitors feel comfortable, yet also keep the kids safe.
Approximately six years ago, Ratti instituted new security measures at Dummerston.
The school locks side doors and funnels traffic into the school through one main door. Everyone must sign in and sign out. The playground is open to the public only after school hours.
Replacing the machines
Ratti communicates daily with the school's insurance company, whose agents are still sorting out how much of the replacement cost will be covered. She hopes insurance will cover the entire cost and that the computers will be replaced before school opens on Aug. 31.
According to the school's website, the school owns 45 iBook computers. They are at least three years old.
She said the school is deciding what security upgrades to make.
One complication, she said, is that most security systems try to prevent “people incidents” like violence or strangers in the schools, not theft. Common buzzer systems - for example, where people are “buzzed” into a locked building - would not have helped protect the computers, she noted.
State police do not have any strong leads. The suspects left footprints at the scene but no fingerprints.
“We haven't really eliminated anything yet,” Cushman said about the ongoing investigation.
The police are monitoring online sale sites, area thrift stores, and pawn shops. Cushman said the computers are equipped with notification software so when they are powered on, the computers will send out a location notification to the police.
The computers' serial numbers have also been added to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a national database containing information on stolen property. Cushman said if the computers end up in another state, they can be tracked.
The Dummerston theft mirrors other computer thefts in the tri-state area, says Cushman, but police have yet to determine if the incidents are connected.