Insurance to Cover Cost of Stolen iPads at Los Gatos Fisher Middle School

Insurance policies will help the Los Gatos Union School District cover the loss of 54 additional stolen iPads from Fisher Middle School this past January, the district superintendent said Sunday in an email to Los Gatos Patch.

Superintendent Diana Abbati said the district will continue to work with the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department and the district's insurance agency to investigate all potential leads.

The burglary, which took place Jan. 5, followed The estimated value of the computers stolen in the first incident was $17,400. Police had no leads at the time as to who the possible suspects are.

According to Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Sgt. spokesman Kerry Harris, officers were summoned to the school at 9:19 a.m. Jan. 5 on the report that a window into a classroom had been found smashed.

Police were summoned to the school when the alarm was triggered, she said.  At the scene, officers determined that several suspects had made entry into a classroom and smashed a classroom window. 

Since November, the LGUSD has increased safety and security measures with upgrades in alarm sensors, window coverings, locks and campus lights, Abbati said. "We will continue to be vigilant in securing all facilities to avoid future thefts," she said.

"As a matter of higher moral ground, we believe students should not suffer from these unfortunate events and have replaced the iPads," Abbati said.

The initial probe into the latest crime was conducted by Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police investigators, who determined that the theft had occurred overnight Jan. 4-5, Sgt. Harris added.

The case was turned over to the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team, or REACT high-tech crimes task force for the follow-up investigation, he explained.

The computers were marked as school property, and the serial numbers have all been entered into automated stolen property systems, he indicated. 

The computer equipment was purchased with those funds.

Anyone purchasing a used iPad should take steps to ensure that the item is not stolen, as possession of stolen property can be prosecuted as a felony in California, Sgt. Harris noted.

Anyone with information about this burglary should contact the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department Detective Bureau at 408-827-3209, or the REACT taskforce at 408-282-2420.