Penn State Police Services is investigating the theft of $56,315 worth of computer hardware from labs in Cedar Building and South Chambers Building last Thursday morning.
Police said the two incidents are probably related because of the proximity of the buildings, the type of equipment taken and the time element. The thefts occurred between midnight and 8 a.m.
"We're talking about an awful lot of individual equipment," Bill Moerschbacher, duty supervisor, said.
Sixty computer processing unit chips (CPUs) and 120 memory boards were taken from the Cedar Building lab, while 18 CPUs and 47 memory boards were taken from the South Chambers Building lab.
Penn State Police Officer Don Hazel, who is leading the investigation, said more than one person was probably involved in the theft given the amount of hardware taken.
Hazel said whoever entered into the computers broke the metal hasps that locked the computers to the desks.
It probably took "less than one minute" to gain entry into each computer, Hazel said, but he said the relative remoteness of the labs gave the intruders all the time they needed.
A total of 60 computers were broken into.
Hazel said there is a big market for the memory boards, which can go for $80 to $135 at hundreds of Internet locations, such as eBay, where the thieves could sell the items for pure profit.
The CPUs may be a little harder for the thieves to unload because the market for them is not as big since most computer owners already have a CPU chip, Hazel said. He added they can sell for $550 to $800 each.
Last week, three laptops were stolen from the lab in the Business Administration Building valued at $1,800 each.
The thefts come as what police call "crimes of opportunity" have risen in frequency on campus, Hazel said. A common factor in most cases, Hazel said, is students leaving their belongings unattended, resulting in their theft.
Rec Hall and the Intramural Building are usually hit hardest because people leave their personal items lying in the hallways while they work out, Hazel said.
Hazel said the increased prevalence is not uncommon, even though students are warned against leaving their things unattended every semester.
Police are asking anyone with information on the computer thefts to contact Penn State Police Services at 863-1111 or call Centre County Crimestoppers at (877) 99-CRIME.
