Campus police have a string of car stereo thefts reported.
Someone has broken into three cars around campus and stolen the stereos. Two cars were targeted in the O-zone Parking Lot Tuesday and another car was robbed at the Health Science Parking Center on Wednesday. Each stereo is worth between $150 and $200.
The stereo bandit didn’t bother to wait for night to take the stereos. Each stereo was taken during the day. Although this seems to violate a basic rule of Thievery 101, cars in the U’s parking lots have a special target painted on their back.
“The campus is the one place where you know the owner’s going to be gone for at least a full class period,” said Scott Folsom, chief of campus police.
Anywhere else in the city, people come and go from parking lots all day. But at a school like the U, car thieves are almost always guaranteed at least 55 minutes until the owner returns to their vehicle, said campus police Captain Lynn Mitchell. It’s an encouraging promise for them, he said.
Campus police currently doesn’t have a lead on the thief, but will check in with local pawnshops for the hot merchandise.
Although it initially seems likely the same perpetrator stole the stereos from all three cars, it may not be the case, Folsom said. The chief learned his lesson about making assumptions about car thieves two years ago. Three separate parking lots were repeatedly hit in chronological order, and the department was convinced they had a full operation on their hands.
“Turned out to be completely different guys coming here at the same time,” he said.
Even if the thief is never caught, there are things students can do to protect themselves in their vulnerable positions, Mitchell said8212;for starters, by locking their car doors. Wednesday’s victim told campus police that he had forgotten to do so.
“When we leave our car8212;and I say we, because I was a student once8212;we get tunnel vision and we’re only thinking about class,” Mitchell said. Students will always be the targets of greedy car thieves taking advantage of their education, but they have got to remember to lock their doors and hide any visible valuables. Even the shiniest silver stereo faceplates can pop off.