Lehigh Police address campus safety concerns

Two trespassing and break-ins were reported at Lehigh in the month of October, causing the Lehigh University Police Department to address security and student safety on and near campus.

The first incident occurred in an on-campus house, while the second took place in an off-campus apartment complex five days apart. The events were reportedly not related to one another.

On Oct. 12, a student woke to shattered glass after someone broke into the Alpha Phi sorority house.

LUPD Detective Chad Bruckner said the department received a call at about 5 a.m. during pacing break while many students and house residents were away. 

Bruckner said the two students who called in the break-in had stayed behind and were asleep when a male intruder entered through a rear sliding door and shattered it. The intruder then fell asleep on a couch in the basement, where officers later found him. His phone was plugged into a nearby outlet.

“It’s not your typical situation where somebody breaks in to steal things,” Bruckner said. “He broke in to sleep and charge his phone.”

Bruckner said the intruder, who was under the influence of alcohol, was not a Lehigh student but the boyfriend of a resident of Alpha Phi who was out of the country at the time.

LUPD officers at the scene took the intruder to the university’s jail for the night.

Bruckner said no items were reportedly stolen, and the man had minor injuries from the broken glass. He said the trespasser was initially charged with burglary. However, the charge has since been reduced to criminal trespassing because nothing was taken, and he knew someone living there.

He also said the individual has no criminal history.

Bruckner said the intruder waived his right to a preliminary hearing, which means the case is moving forward in Northampton County Court. With the case now out of LUPD’s hands and in the county system, the outcome will be determined in the Court of Common Pleas.

LUPD did not issue a HawkWatch alert until 1:15 p.m., about seven hours and 38 minutes later that day. 

However, Bruckner said there was no ongoing threat.

“He was in custody, we knew who he was,” Bruckner said. “There was no risk to the community at that point.”

Jon Buskirk, the assistant chief of LUPD said if the person was not in custody or was on the run posing a threat to campus safety, the HawkWatch alert would have been sent immediately by a member of the department.

“If it was an emergent thing, say, someone smashed a window, and took off running, that would be different,” Buskirk said. 

On Oct. 17, a Lehigh student, who asked The Brown and White to keep her identity anonymous, scanned her key card and walked into the South Side Commons off-campus apartment building at about 9:30 p.m. 

She took the elevator up, and as the doors opened, she saw a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and sunglasses sprawled out sleeping on the couch of the lounge.

She said she was confused because she knew most residents of South Side Commons on her floor and didn’t recognize the man. 

She said she told her roommates about what she saw, and after about two hours passed the man he was still sleeping on the couch. 

At around 11:30 p.m., she and her roommates decided to call LUPD, which led to the man being removed from the building.

“I was definitely a little scared, especially because it was super close to my room and I didn’t know who he was,” the student said. 

Bruckner said the man was a former Lehigh student who likely entered the building by following someone who had access inside.

“He didn’t hurt anybody,” Bruckner said. “But it’s a good reminder to be aware of who you’re letting into secured buildings.”

Bruckner said the case is currently pending a preliminary hearing at Northampton County Court because the man is no longer affiliated with Lehigh. 

Although both incidents ended without serious harm, Bruckner said they serve as reminders for students to stay vigilant even in spaces that feel familiar.

“Most students come from affluent backgrounds and think that crime doesn’t happen to us, it happens elsewhere,” Bruckner said. “But you always have to be vigilant.”

He also said it’s important for the department to have educational talks about public safety on campus. 

Bruckner said LUPD’s job is to support staff, students and faculty. The department also offers meetings with different buildings and student groups to educate them on campus safety and form relationships

Buskirk said in addition to responding to incidents, LUPD wants to continue to build stronger connections with students before issues arise.

Bruckner said he visited the Leavitt and McConnell buildings in the Upper Cents dorms and spoke to 77 students about building safety and security. 

He said LUPD is willing to speak with student groups, Greek chapters or residents of any building at any time, not just after incidents happen.

“It doesn’t sound like that would directly prevent crime and increase public safety, but it does when you build strong relationships,” he said.