Question: AFA Dorm security

D

Delta

5-Year Member
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Jan 13, 2011
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This is about honor.. I really don't want to start this kind of thread,
but I have a question about Academy dorm security.
One parent wrote below message on FaceBook.
Is this really happening at academy? How?
Based on story, it doesn't look like droppping wallet during training.
I think there are another similar case.
How was old days?

::: From FaceBook :::
================================================
Just got a call from my son. Seems someone stole his wallet. :(
He needed us to call and cancel his credit card.
He couldn't talk long so I didn't get any details,
but he said his wallet was stolen then later returned with
everything minus all of his cash.
I checked his credit card statement online and
there wasn't anything suspicious, but we canceled everything anyway.
I'm just sickened to hear this happened at the academy.
================================================
 
Yes, it happens at every academy, but I don't think often. And yes, it is an honor issue.
 
Just remember that there are all sorts of people who work in the dorms and around USAFA, many of them are civilians. There was a rash of fires last year that was started by a civilian worker.
 
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Yes it is sad, but it is also one of the reasons they are issued a lock for their drawer and are told to use it.
Their rooms will be checked at times to make sure their drawers are locked, and if not, their will be squadron "training" because of it. Same with leaving their CAC cards in their computers when not in the room.
 
Yeah, I had the cash stolen from my wallet one day, when I was a cadet. :thumbdown: No clue who took it, as most of the squadron was at athletic events at that time.

It does happen. There are some civilian workers, AD folks, and cadets. Unfortunately, every group that size will have some disreputable people. We try to weed them out of the cadet wing, but sometimes you miss one.
 
My daughter is currently a senior. During her C3 year, she had 50 dollars stolen from her room. In addition, she has had clothing and jewelry taken from her room. I assumed this could never happen but now realize that integrity is something that many people lack.
 
Lellison said:
My daughter is currently a senior. During her C3 year, she had 50 dollars stolen from her room. In addition, she has had clothing and jewelry taken from her room. I assumed this could never happen but now realize that integrity is something that many people lack.
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Just keep in mind that there are people around the dorms who are not cadets, so do not assume that items are being taken by cadets.
 
falconfamily said:
Just keep in mind that there are people around the dorms who are not cadets, so do not assume that items are being taken by cadets.
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Nor should you ignore the possibility that it may be taken by a fellow cadet. It happened at USCGA a few years ago, large sums of cash were (allegedly) stolen by a 1/c before being caught and disenrolled.
 
Luigi59 said:
Nor should you ignore the possibility that it may be taken by a fellow cadet. It happened at USCGA a few years ago, large sums of cash were (allegedly) stolen by a 1/c before being caught and disenrolled.
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Got Luigi, point I am trying to make is that while it could well be a fellow cadet, it is not the only possible scenario.
 
My son's wallet came u p missing one day and he assumed it had been stolen. Turns out, it was returned a few days later, with all the cash/cards.

There are still honorable people, everywhere.
 
I think it's something every cadet and midshipman has to be aware of.... but it also applies to all of us... where ever we are.

You would HOPE a cadet or midshipman wouldn't steal from his fellow cadets/midshipmen, but it happens from time to time. It's why we had lock boxes and the ability to lock desks.

Maybe it's a member of the cleaning crew or maybe someone who shouldn't be in the building, but statistically, it's more likely a dirtbag cadet or midshipman.

The vast majority of cadets and midshipmen are honorable. The few bad outliers shouldn't graduate.

Either way, cadets or midshipmen should keep their valuables locked up (we used to get a "talking to" if our valuables weren't locked.)
 
Either way, cadets or midshipmen should keep their valuables locked up (we used to get a "talking to" if our valuables weren't locked.)
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Its not so much of a "talking to" as it is you get your door locked and have to either find your Company Chief or wait for the OOD to get back from class now LITS. :smile: My chief made a 4/c stand guard outside a 1/c room last year to protect their valuables since they didn't want to lock their stuff up. Poor kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I also agree with LITS with respect to cadets/midshipman. I was a 3/c when the event that Luigi talked about occurred. We all speculated that it might be a contractor or one of the cleaning people. In the end it was a 1/c who had been my 2/c as a freshman and then had held a high leadership position in the Corps during Swab Summer. We had another thief in the Corps this year, guess what? It was another cadet, a 4/c. As much as I would like to think I could trust everyone at CGA, the truth is it never stops me from locking up my drawers before I leave my room.
 
Very true. Lying, cheating, stealing and attempted to deceive can really rip the fabric of trust at the academies.

Yes we had things stollen at CGA when I was a cadet too. I don't think anyone stole things from me... but I sure lost a lot over four years.

Maybe the thing that made me angriest over my four years there was an event that still boils my blood.

As a 2/c I was walking down 1st deck, A-Annex towards the cadet wardroom when I saw a 4/c double-timing, and squaring, but she just did not look"right".

I wasn't the nicest 2/c at the time. But this 4/c was a very good cadet.

I said "4/c JANE DOE, are you OK? Is something wrong?"

She tried to respond but was uncomfortable and "out of it".

I told her to come in the closest room and sit down. She did and told me she didn't feel right. I told her we were going to the clinic, and to not worry about squaring or double timing, that she would be coming with me. So we went to the clinic and it turned out after some tests that she had something seriously wrong with her. She had it taken care of (surgery) and returned with medicine.

Well, later in the month it was discovered that someone was stealing her medicine. And eventually it was discovered a generally well-liked 3/c had done it. His idiot classmates would say "Free NAME-O", as he gradually made his way to disenrollment.

Here is a guy that was supposed to watch out for junior cadets, and he's stealing medicine from one who had surgery. I have rarely been so angry as a cadet, and I can say that I unleashed some less than professional words on his classmates who defended him. There was no room in the Corp of Cadets for that sandbag. There was no room in the Coast Guard for him either.

Cadets and midshipmen aren't perfect. I think sometimes parents like to think they are, but any past or current cadet or midshipman would tell you otherwise.

The beginning of the Corps of Cadets mission at CGA is "to Graduate young men and women".... it's a mission any academy would share, in part. The mission isn't to accept them, or teach them, but to graduate them.... as they have "sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds with a liking for the sea and its lore."

Don't feel bad about crappy cadets and midshipmen. Feel good when we figure out who they are and send them packing.
 
Just had a conversation with a police sergeant neighbor. With a spike of theft and house break-ins during summer, the perpetrators typically hit the easiest targets. Crime of opportunity is probably the case when wallets and valuables are left in plain view. As much as we would like to think that the honor code is upheld and is expected among cadets, there's always a few that somehow think they can get away with larceny especially if the victim is careless and do not secure their valuables.:cool:
 
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