Wellesley College police chief's cruiser is stolen

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

You'd think the blue lights inside the car might have been a clue. But they apparently didn't stop some thief or thieves from stealing the unmarked cruiser used by the Wellesley College police chief.

Local police who were called to a home on Brook Street in Wellesley before 10 a.m. Wednesday found that a Wellesley College Police cruiser had been stolen overnight, said Wellesley Police Sergeant Marie Cleary.

She said local detectives are working with college police on the case.

College spokeswoman Elizabeth Gildersleeve said somebody broke into the house, a mile or two off campus, of Lisa J. Barbin, the college's police chief, taking her cellphone, some cash, and her keys.

They also took the unmarked police cruiser outside, a dark-colored 2008 Ford Taurus.

Barbin, her son, and her visiting brother were at home at the time of the break-in, but slept through the incident, Gildersleeve said.