The Department of Public Safety honored David Townes (COL’04) Wednesday afternoon for aiding in the arrest of the serial burglar implicated in 22 burglaries and thefts on the Georgetown campus.

“We are very pleased to recognize one of our fellow students today. We are here today for a good ceremony, which we usually don’t have as often as we’d like,” DPS Director Darryl Harrison said.

Because of Townes’ actions, DPS was able to find information on the individual and coordinate with the Metropolitan Police Department for a follow-up investigation.

“We are very pleased to put an end to recent problems that have plagued our campus,” Harrison said.

Townes was staying on campus during spring break when his Village A rooftop apartment was burglarized on March 10, 2004. The burglar entered the apartment when Townes’ roommate was at home, entering the unlocked residence and taking a computer.

“When I got home, my computer was gone, and we were also missing a CD player and portable DVD player. My roommate had thought that the burglar was actually me,” Townes said.

Townes later spoke with a graduate student who was studying on the fourth floor of Lauinger library who was able to give a description of the burglar. The description matched a suspicious character whom Townes had seen “poking around” a couple of days beforehand.

“The next day, I was walking down M Street, and I saw that same guy with a pizza box, so I followed him, and sure enough, he went right back to the Village A apartments,” he said.

Townes immediately called DPS, and officers immediately took action to arrest the burglar on the scene.

“Based on the information provided, we were grateful to find the individual described to us,” Harrison said.

Harrison presented Townes with a certificate of recognition from DPS, awarding him for his efforts and demonstration of actions needed to keep the Georgetown campus safe. “I am glad that students like David are taking time to read information, and understand how serious it is in terms of its impact on the campus,” he said.

Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Vice President for University Safety David Morrell were also present for the awarding of the certificate to Townes. Morrell noted that a Student Safety Advisory board has been started as a result of Townes’ efforts.

“David’s involvement is part of the catalyst for the formation of this new program whose message is to encourage students to lock doors especially over the next three weeks before students leave campus for the summer,” Morrell said.

Townes also explained how more student involvement and attention to Public Safety Alerts would help to solve incidents like this in the future.

“People are usually apathetic about what’s happening, but because I had the time, I had an extra incentive to do this,” he said. “I encourage people to take a greater interest.”