Limited Safety Improvements After Spring RCA Break-Ins

Last spring, there were at least five instances of attempted or successful break-ins of the Reed College Apartments (RCAs). One individual was ultimately arrested in connection with one of the break-ins, and the college says some safety improvements were made to the apartments. Despite this, there are concerns that they may remain vulnerable to future intrusions.

On January 19, a resident returning from winter break reported that their apartment had been broken into and appeared to have been ransacked. On March 25, a different RCA was broken into while the residents were not present. The intruder stole many of their belongings, including both residents’ passports, and left a note targeting the residents for their identities.

On April 6 and 7, there were multiple attempted burglaries of RCAs. The Timely Warning email sent to the student body described a “strange woman” attempting to enter multiple apartments. On April 12, an RCA was broken into and some of the residents’ belongings were stolen. One of the residents later said they had left their door unlocked. 

On April 13, an individual peered into a window and attempted to enter an RCA. They then succeeded in entering a different apartment, the same one that was previously broken into on March 25; the resident woke up to find this individual sitting in their living room. The intruder was ultimately apprehended by Community Safety and arrested by the Portland Police. According to a Community Safety report shared with the Quest, the individual had been previously excluded from campus.

The Quest spoke to one of the residents of the apartment that was broken into on March 25 and April 13. They shared their frustrations with the college’s response and support offered, which they found deeply inadequate. They and their roommate got more support from the Theatre department than the college administration, they said. Professor of Theatre Kate Bredeson brought frustrations about the break-ins to the April 13 faculty meeting (see April 17 Faculty Beat), asking Audrey Bilger, “What are you doing about this? What is Reed doing to help our students be safe? Why won’t we provide security to keep them safe?”

After the first break-in, a small security improvement was provided to the windows of the RCA that was targeted, but this change was unsuccessful in preventing the second break-in. In both instances, the residents had secured their door and windows with all the locks and other security precautions provided.

The resident said they were finally able to meet with Karnell McConnell-Black, Vice President for Student Life, after graduation. They reported that McConnell-Black promised that Student Life, Residence Life, Facilities, Community Safety, and other relevant college offices would meet over the summer and come up with solutions, and he would update them, but they have not received any further communication from McConnell-Black.

McConnell-Black told the Quest in an email that “several campus offices met over the summer to review the incidents and identify immediate and longer-term safety improvements.” He pointed to several changes: “We have increased Community Safety patrols around the apartments, strengthened coordination with the Portland Police Bureau, enhanced window security, and made lighting and landscaping improvements to increase visibility.”

After talking to multiple current and former RCA residents, it seems that any window security improvements were fairly minor, as descriptions of current window security are very similar to last year’s systems. They described minor changes and some “window latch maintenance” following the April break-ins, but nothing substantial. It is unclear whether the method by which the resident’s window was broken into earlier in the year would be prevented by any security currently in place. 

Carl Peaster, Director of Community Safety, said that other colleges might consider installing permanent security cameras in response to incidents like this, but Reed did not do so, “since the College was keenly aware of the community's concerns surrounding physical security devices such as security cameras, motion/behavior detection AI, and other forms of security that may be utilized in deterring or catching offenders, but that have not been acceptable for use at Reed.” Peaster said he was “unaware of any policy changes that occurred.” 

Peaster started in June and therefore was not present for the break-ins, giving information that contradicted other sources. For instance, when asked how many took place, he only pointed to the incidents described in the first Timely Warning, not the other five incidents noted above. He also stated incorrectly that Community Safety “[does] not know of any apprehensions, suspects, or arrests at this time.” 

Dhyana Westfall, Assistant Director of Community Safety, later clarified that an individual was arrested following the break-ins on April 13, and there were no more apartments entered after that arrest. Westfall suggested that the lack of further incidents after this arrest indicate that this individual might have been involved in earlier break-ins, but could not say for sure.

When asked how he would respond if more break-ins were to take place, Peaster emphasized both improving physical security and responsibility on the part of residents, such as locking their doors and not letting in people they don’t know. The Quest noted that multiple break-ins took place despite residents fully securing their doors and windows, but Peaster did not respond to the request for clarification. 

Community Safety sent out an email on September 14 reminding students to keep their doors locked and report unfamiliar or concerning individuals, furthering the message that the primary way to prevent break-ins is personal responsibility on the part of residents.

The Quest asked both McConnell-Black and Peaster whether they believe on-campus apartments are in danger of further instances of burglary or trespassing. Peaster said, “The answer depends on whether we have enough security devices and systems in place and whether our community members are determined to follow safety practices. My hope is that we all have learned what it takes to be safer and that we've learned the lessons above. If so, then that risk is definitely lower.” McConnell-Black said, “I would not characterize the apartments as being in particular danger, but no college can guarantee that another incident will not occur.”

The resident whose apartment was broken into twice said, “It’s just kind of appalling to me that they would let it keep happening and not take meaningful action.”