Georgia State offering $2K reward for information in library robberies

Georgia State University is offering a $2,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in a string of robberies in the campus library over the past two months.

The reward, offered in conjunction with Crime Stoppers, was announced Thursday morning during a campus safety meeting hosted by Georgia State president Mark Becker and other university administrators. In addition to the reward, the university plans to release an updated sketch of a suspect.

Last week Becker announced improved security measures, including doubling police patrols and temporarily closing the library to the public. Those increased patrols will be long-term initiatives, Becker said today, and fingerprinting technology will also be installed in the library to identify patrons.

It’s unknown whether the suspect in the recent robberies is a student, said Georgia State police Deputy Chief Carlton Mullis, and all possibilities are being considered.

About 20 minutes into the meeting, a small group of protesters stood with fists raised, read statements and shouted questions at Becker. The protesters, mostly Georgia State students, railed against Board of Regents polices that bar undocumented immigrants from attending some of the state’s largest and most popular public institutions, including Georgia State. Protesters also shouted concerns about racial profiling, and described a recent incident in which they claim a visiting Clark Atlanta University student was questioned by police because he resembled the robbery suspect.

The protesters stood throughout the meeting, repeatedly shouting out questions and reading statements, sometimes drowning out Becker and Mullis.

Georgia State’s student government association has scheduled another campus meeting Thursday night to discuss safety and other issues.