Overview

Laptops are key tools for productivity, but their small size and portability makes them easy to lose track of and attractive targets for theft.  Older laptops that are kept around "just in case" are
often lost; and theft from homes, cars, on campus, and on
international travel are all common occurrences. University employees have a resonsibility to ensure that DOE property is appropriate protected,
and lack of due care by our community puts the Lab at risk, even if
the dollar value of the items is relatively small.  

Learn more about how to protect your laptop from loss and theft on this minisite.

See how thieves target laptops at airports:

LBL Property is for LBL Work.  Don't:

1. Send your LBL laptop off to school with your children.

2. Give your LBL laptop to your partner/roomate/spouse to use for a non-LBL work trip.

3. Give your LBL laptop to a friend to use while hers is being fixed.

(Incidental use, as per RPM 9.01, is permitted, but there is no such thing as incidental use by non-LBL people)

Learn More

Due Care

We can't get losses to zero, but the University expects us all to exercise due care with the property we are stewards of.  That means treating property as you would treat a valued item of personal property..  Remember that LBL property is for business use (including incidental use in the case of laptops) which does not extend to your family members or friends - your property is for the use of you and the collaborators you authorize.  Be aware of your surroundings and don't leave your laptop in a place that will put it at obvious risk (like the front seat of your car).  At the same time, never ever put yourself at personal risk to protect property. 

Manage Loss

The largest source of lost laptops is older systems which are being kept around "just in case."  Losing these systems, even if they have little value, still puts the institution at risk.  If property is in your name, you're responsible for knowing where it is - that includes the laptop you loaned to the visiting scholar last year.  Be a good steward of the property you're responsible for.  If something is in your name and you can't possibly exercise control of it, contact your division property rep and have it transferred to someone who can.

Manage Theft

Because we live in a relatively high property-crime area, we have a responsibility to be attentive to how we carry and store laptops.  The largest categories of theft of LBL Laptops are theft from personal homes and personal vehicles in the greater East Bay, theft while on travel, especially international travel, and theft from campus buildings.  Keep your laptop out of site when its being stored, and place it in a locked area if one is available.  More info on protecting your laptopis here>>>