SafePlace-USA Contract Lets Campuses Earn Money While Reducing Theft with Dorm-Room Safes

JERICHO, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
Colleges can generate revenue while reducing the incidence of on-campus theft
through a new contract between SafePlace-USA and E&I Cooperative Purchasing
(E&I).

The contract gives institutions that belong to E&I-the largest higher-education
purchasing consortium in the United States-an opportunity to purchase in-room
safes for residence halls at a reduced price, helping students to protect their
belongings from theft. It`s a problem that costs universities and their students
many millions of dollars annually.

The average cost to campuses for an in-room safe is about $10 per semester.
Colleges may choose to charge a security fee for the safes to generate a small
profit, or can incorporate the cost into regular tuition and fees.

According to College Student Insurance Agency Inc., the value of personal
property that a typical student brings to campus can range between $4,000 and
$10,000. Many of the most valuable items-including laptop computers, MP3
players, digital cameras and cell phones-are ideal targets for thieves.

Data from Education Association Services shows that more than 100,000 property
crimes on college campuses are reported annually, and an average of $1,250 in
stolen student property per theft.

Dolores Stafford, chief of police at The George Washington University, said that
installing safes reduces the costs of campus theft. "Investigating property
crimes is a major expense for most campus public safety departments," Stafford
said. In addition to the hard costs of the lost property and conducting the
investigation, there are intangible costs such as the time students spend
replacing lost physical or intellectual property, and the negative impact on the
campus environment."

"We are pleased that we could add SafePlace-USA to our growing portfolio of
security contracts," said Tom Fitzgerald, CEO, E&I Cooperative Purchasing.
"These contracts help our members, because security is a primary concern on
every college campus."

SafePlace-USA offers universities and colleges high-quality safes with advanced
electronics like the units installed by SafePlace in more than 750,000 hotel and
cruise ship rooms in 70 countries.

Established in 1934 by members of The National Association of Educational
Procurement, Educational & Institutional Cooperative Purchasing (www.eandi.org)
is a buying cooperative that serves more than 1,600 colleges and universities.

E&I Vice President of Marketing
Sabra Schell, 631-630-8234

Copyright Business Wire 2009