RIVERA THE RIPPER

On these same pages, The Crimson staff has called for more detailed background checks for prospective University employees. The recent arrest of Luis Rivers, a janitor who cleaned offices at the Law School, makes the need for checks even more clear. Rivera--who admitted to committing many of the thefts in an interview with the police--had a well-documented record of past larceny and property crimes before he started work at Harvard.

What better person could Harvard give office access to? Indeed, it seems that Rivera had his own unique method when it came to "cleaning out" offices. So when does he get the "Employee of the Month" award?

We can already picture it. Rivera enters the darkened, deserted office of a law professor, using the keys that Harvard so generously bestowed upon him. He then steals a color television and other electronic goods.

But Harvard's reasoning in giving Rivera access was quite sound. They probably thought, why should we make larceny unnecessarily difficult? Breaking down doors and shattering windows can get terribly messy. Instead, let's just give would-be thieves keys to our buildings. That way, we don't have to clean up, and thieves don't have to hurt themselves. Everyone wins.

After looking at the thefts, we at Dartboard have a question for Rivera: How could you be so stupid? You are the janitor assigned to clean certain specific offices. You steal $10,000 worth of electronic goods from the offices you clean. You do this over a relatively short period of time. You make no attempt to fake a forced entry, thus giving away your thefts as inside jobs.

And you expected to get away with this? Harvard University Police has been criticized on many fronts, but they sure aren't stupid.

Of course, the case of Rivera is not an isolated one. Just examine the University's track record in selecting employees. Harvard has picked some real winners.

This latest case of theft makes one's head spin. When it comes to picking crooks off the street and handing them jobs, it seems that only the voters of Italy can do a better job than fair Harvard.