BrookSpeak

Most students think that the fifty dollars paid each semester ensures the safety of their vehicles, but last month a teacher and a student’s car were stolen.

English teacher John Cain and junior Jevontae Jefferson learned the hard way that Pebblebrook High School makes no guarantee for the safety of an individual’s vehicle. Cain’s Plymouth Breeze and Jefferson’s Cutlass Sierra were stolen from the student parking lot.

Junior Jevontae Jefferson was at lunch when his friend informed him that his car had been stolen.

“ My friend thought that I had went off campus to lunch, but then he saw me and told me that my car was not in the student parking lot,� said Jefferson.

Officer William Mathis was on duty when the car theft happened. When viewing the tapes from the parking lot camera, the administration and the security officers noticed that none of the theft was caught on tape.

“During remodeling of the cafeteria and library, the sensitivity motion was somehow set down to zero. The only thing that the camera caught was the car leaving the parking lot,� said Mathis.

No one knew that the cameras were not working before or during the theft. Officer Mathis said that the cameras have been raised back to the highest frequency and that now if anyone were in the parking lot, the cameras would detect them. Mathis hopes that the camera will deter future crime.

Serious and immediate action is taken when a car theft occurs. The responsibility does not lie solely on the school, but with the victim also.

“When a theft occurs, the first thing that we do is make contact with the person, file a police report, get important information, and get identity information and anything else that will not hinder us in finding the vehicle� said Mathis.

The car thefts have damaged the overall perception of the security of the parking lot for Jefferson since his car was stolen.

Jefferson also has taken actions into his own hands and has a message for anyone who has his car.

“When I found out that my car was stolen I filed a police report and gave all the information that was needed to the school. I have people around looking out for my car so if anyone has it, I’m just letting you know that they are out there.�

Mathis believes that the school’s security has room for improvement and the first thing that needs to be done is get more help.

“I think that if we had more officers, the overall school security could be much better,� said Mathis.