Vehicular vandalism is becoming more common for students parking in the Resident Storage lot on Centennial Campus, but maybe not for the reasons they think.
Shattered windows and slashed tires are hardly what students expect to worry about, especially for freshmen who frequently park in the lot, but over 30 incidences have been reported in the Campus Police blotter as having occurred in that lot since Aug. 15.
According to Capt. Jon Barnwell, Campus Police receive more reports about incidences in this particular lot than any other on campus.
“Compared to other lots on campus, we have seen a much higher increase in crime in the Resident Storage parking lot, though it is typical for the lot of choice for subjects to change every couple of years,” said Barnwell. “There are usually only a couple students damaging vehicles, so the lot of choice depends on lot location, what the lot is used for, and who the perpetrators are. We are considering these factors and are working to enhance the security of the lot.”
There are signs in the lot stating that students can help prevent damages to their vehicles by locking their doors and keeping their valuables out of sight—therefore “out of mind”—but Barnwell said this trend seems to be no longer valid.
“In the past it has been an issue of what is in the vehicles, such as GPS systems, CDs, or other electronic items or items of value,” said Barnwell. “However, we are seeing more instances of random acts of violence, with no intent of theft. This new trend makes it difficult to advise students on how to keep their cars safe.”
But Barnwell said while Campus Police are stepping up security measures in the lot, the University needs students to be “neighborly” and look out for any suspicious incidences in the lot.
“First and foremost, we focus on dealing with physical safety, and then we focus on protecting students’ property. From a physical standpoint, students in the lot are safe,” said Barnwell. “Right now, we’re working on investigating this which has reduced the number of incidents and we are aggressively checking the lots. But we need students to report anything they see. We need the help of the campus community.”
Kelly Womack, a freshman in elementary education, said she finds this new trend of breaking into cars for purposes other than theft surprising and confusing.
“I’ve always been told not to leave anything of value in my car or out in the open for people to see because that encourages people to break in to cars,” said Womack. “Yeah, it is surprising because I don’t get it. It seems pointless to break into someone’s car and not take anything. They are just breaking in to break in.”
While Barnwell said he could not divulge the specifics of how Campus Police is strengthening security other than instating an increased police presence, he said Campus Police will install surveillance equipment as soon as the University has the money for it.
“As we move forward with our plans to place CCTV cameras in the lot as it becomes economically viable, I believe it will have an impact of reducing criminal behavior,” said Barnwell. “It will have a tremendous impact on deviant behavior because it will take away the anonymity perpetrators believe they have when they commit such acts.”
According to Emily Ericksen, a freshman in agriculture, employing the use of such cameras would make her feel more comfortable with having a car on campus, though currently the damages are not enough to discourage her completely from on-campus lots.
“I feel like these should deter me from parking on campus, but I simply need my car for too many things,” said Ericksen. “I think they should put cameras out there since it would prevent people from doing these things. Obviously many people won’t go out there knowing they are being watched, or they will at least be a lot easier to catch. But it would be nicer if there was more security so I wouldn’t have to worry.”
