Correction: Justin Brough was quoted as saying that their insurance covered liquid losses. However, the insurance did not cover any portion of the losses. Also, the article stated that Brough contracted with Securitas, but the security was in fact provided by the SUB for a fee
Nearly a month after the Con-Jikan anime festival held at the SUB, the UNM Police Department is still investigating the theft of $2,000 worth of merchandise.
Twice in two years Con-Jikan has dealt with theft. At last year’s event about $7,000 in cash and merchandise was stolen. Representatives of the SUB said they are not responsible for either crime.
The most recent theft took place after the event closed around midnight on Nov. 1, and before 8 a.m. the next morning, according to the UNMPD report.
Lt. Tim Stump, public relations officer for UNMPD, said he was unable to comment beyond saying the investigation is still ongoing.
Justin Brough, one of the founders of Con-Jikan, said the event did not have any form of security last year, and he decided that this year they would use the security company recommended by the SUB. Securitas, a nationwide security company contracted through the SUB, is the company Brough contacted.
Brough said it was disheartening to have thefts two years in a row despite the security he paid for this year.
“Last year we lost over $7,000 in cash and merchandise, mostly cash,” Brough said. “Our insurance policy at the time covered liquid losses.”
However, to recover from last year’s loss was still difficult, as he had to pay a lot out of pocket, he said. Brough said he also lost a few vendors this year because of the theft.
“This year $2,000 in merchandise was stolen despite using the security the SUB recommended,” he said. “Gamers Anonymous was the only vendor hit during the break-in.”
According to the police report, there did not appear to be any forced entry, and the security officer that was working had already left.
The police report states that UNMPD made attempts to contact the security guard identified as Chrystal Thompson, but had not received any responses.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The Daily Lobo also attempted to reach Thompson, as well as Securitas, but received no response.
Building manager Sean Overlin said he was on staff and showed Thompson around on the night of the theft.
Overlin said he believed contact had been made with Thompson, but was not sure.
There are security cameras in the SUB, but Overlin said he did not review any of the footage. There is one door that remains unlocked, but that was it.
Brough lamented that no one is ready to take responsibility, he said.
“I reached out to the Student Union Building, and they told me that (they) are not liable. That was basically the message that I got on all fronts,” Brough said. “I asked the building manager if we would be safe leaving stuff and he said ‘probably not.’”
In an email sent to Brough, the SUB administration declined to take responsibility.
“We feel that we did everything we could under the circumstances,” the email stated. “Michael Tuttle, who is Mgr. Risk Management Insurance & Claims for Safety & Risk Service [sic], said that anything personal that is left in a room, out in the open and anywhere on campus and it is stolen, the University is not held responsible.”
According to the letter the SUB administration also informed Brough that the administration was unable to waive the room rental fee.
“If you would like security overnight it can be arranged through the security company at extra cost. We charge a 7% [sic] room rental fee for all student groups that charge admission to their events, so we cannot make an exception for one group without doing for other groups,” the letter stated.
Ultimately, whoever stole the items is responsible, Brough said, but some of the responsibility falls on the SUB. He said he believes there are not enough efforts being made to solve the issue, primarily because the theft was relatively small.
Jon Sakura, owner of Gamers Anonymous, said he was frustrated when he walked into Ballroom C that Sunday morning and saw that many of his belongings had been moved or stolen.
“The most frustrating part of all of it was the disregard for someone else’s property,” he said.
Among the items stolen was a valuable collection of games that took 15 years to build, Sakura said. Other items that were stolen include gaming equipment, games and controllers. A monitor was also damaged.
“It set us back in terms of morale and frustration,” Sakura said. “It was all expendable stuff that we use specifically for events like this, so it deterred our ability to go to events like this for a while.
Moriah Carty is the assistant culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at cultureassistant@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MoriahCarty.
