Many students noticed the Storm Lake Police Department (SLPD) on Buena Vista University’s (BVU) campus on the date of Tuesday April 11^th. The issue was concerning a report made in the previous month concerning a burglary and forgery that occurred on campus. Police were informed that a car had been broken into and checks amounting to $2,000 had been taken and forged.

On April 11^th, the SLPD performed interviews to continue with the investigation. After receiving a search warrant, room 324 in Pierce Hall was searched for any evidence. In their search, they found “stolen blank checks, forged checks, a debit card, receipts and a small amount of marijuana,” a Storm Lake press release confirms. Later that evening Kevin Kee, a student on campus, was arrested and charged with “Four counts of Forgery (class D felony), Possession of Marijuana (serious misdemeanor) and Possession of Stolen Property (simple misdemeanor),” the press release states. He is currently on a $5,000 bond.

“Kee is currently looking at about six years in prison,” Mark Kirkholm, Director of Security, commented.

“We have seen an increase use of marijuana on campus over the years,” Kirkholm asserts. He previously has worked with the SLPD for 20 years. Campus security and the SLPD work well together when it comes to issues regarding the law. The only time that the SLPD joins campus security is when a report is made, otherwise campus security handles most issues.

Concerning the arrest made last semester and an arrest made in February, the question is raised is there is an increase of crime on campus? The answer is no, crime on campus has been decreasing. The crime statistics put out by campus security will show a decline in crime on campus.

“We are currently working on gathering all of the numbers for the 2016 report,” Kirkholm noted.

“As always, our number one concern is the safety of the students,” Kirkholm said. BVU is known for its friendly and welcoming atmosphere which is something that campus security helps maintain.

If you see any suspicious activity on campus, report it to campus security or the SLPD.