A crime alert has been issued by ISU Police following the theft of a student security officer’s set of master keys from the Towers Residence Association.

The keys, which contain keys to unlock every door in TRA, were stolen between 6 and 6:30 p.m. from the officer’s room in Wilson Hall on Saturday, according to an e-mail from Virginia Arthur, associate director of residence.

ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger said the student reported shutting but not locking her door.

He said it is possible the theft could be related to a recent string of thefts of electronic items from TRA hall rooms.

Deisinger said ISU Police have issued a crime alert for students living in TRA, which is made up of Knapp, Storms, Wallace and Wilson Halls. Kate Bruns, communications specialist for the residence department, also said “the Department of Residence has increased security significantly within [TRA] buildings. We are also asking students to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to authorities,” she said.

Deisinger said there have been two residence hall room thefts in TRA each day for the past two days. He said it was possible these thefts were related to the stolen master set of keys, but nothing had been confirmed.

Carl Ritchie, resident of Storms Hall and freshman in industrial engineering, reported the theft of a video game and controller to ISU Police on Monday.

Ritchie said he had no evidence the theft was related to the stolen keys but thought it could be related.

At a TRA student senate meeting on Monday, it was reported that two laptops, a hard drive and a CD player had also been stolen. The thefts have occurred in Wallace and Wilson halls. Deisinger said some of the residents who reported thefts said they had locked their doors and some said they had not.

The Department of Residence is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and a $1,000 reward for recovery of the keys in conjunction with the investigation, Bruns said. Any information should be reported to the ISU Police immediately.

The residence department began changing the locks Tuesday, Bruns said. The TRA student senate heard a presentation from ISU Police at its meeting and requested the bathroom locks be changed first, she said. Locks will begin to be changed Wednesday in Knapp Hall, Bruns said. Best Lock Company is the contractor working on changing the locks.

Changing the 1,200 locks in all TRA buildings will cost the Department of Residence about $100,000, which will taken out of the department’s budget, Bruns said.