Students arrived moments before the bell on Oct. 1 to find broken locks, open lockers and police officers. Approximately 60 locks were broken, according to security guard Jerry Rose, but no items were reported stolen.

Each lock costs the school about $10, meaning that the total cost of damage is somewhere around $600. Vandalism is considered a federal crime and can carry a fine of up to $25,000 and jail time.

“I assumed it was just a stupid prank, but it was annoying nonetheless,” junior and victim Matthew Hoertig said.

Despite the motive, the culprit may be leveraged with heavy fines or a stint in jail. Although nothing was taken, there is little comfort left for those who had the safety of their lockers compromised.

“I’m worried that this will happen again in the future. I feel nervous about keeping my textbooks in my locker now, because they cost a lot, and who knows when it will happen again in the future,” junior Eunice Choi said. “Overall, this was a horrible experience for me.”

The effect of the locker break-ins was not devastating in the least, but it was unnerving. The premise of locker safety has been called into question, but worried students can take into account that this was a rare and isolated event.