In the beginning of September, Ashland University’s Parking Lot B suffered from recurring vehicle break-ins. A group of unidentified individuals trespassed six vehicles on Sept. 2 and took some personal items. On Sept. 12, three catalytic converters were stolen.
AU Safety Services are coordinating with law enforcement to attempt to solve the crimes.
Parking Lot B fits commuters, visitors and dorm residents. In both instances, incidents happened at nighttime, affecting only students living on campus.
Lot B is one of the biggest on the main campus, located far away from the safety services’ office. Even though dispatchers supervise the campus, car lootings happen fast and are hard to notice.
“It’s minutes,” said Kim Mager, director of AU Safety Services.
She does not know why looters chose this lot but noted that similar incidents happen in the community.
“It’s also happening in the city, it’s not just an on-campus situation,” Mager said.
The criminals’ motive is not to steal the vehicle, but to profit from what is inside. The easiest targets are unlocked cars.
“They’re looking for the quickest things they can get their hands on, which includes change, purse left in the car, sporting equipment. Electronics are big,” Mager said.
How to protect your car
Always lock your vehicle and do not leave anything in the visible spot. Even a spectacle of coins can provoke the looters.
Safety Services recommends checking the car every three to four days and reporting any signs of trespassing forthwith, even if everything seems to be in place. This will increase the chances of tracing the thieves.
“Sometimes we don’t know until after the fact, which makes it difficult to narrow down a time frame of when it occurred,” Mager said.
She advises conducting a “security assessment” of the items you store in the car. This can be done by writing down serial numbers of documents and electronics and photographing all valuables.
What if the incident had already happened?
Immediately call the AU safety services or the police if someone trespassed your car.
“You should document the damage before you touch it,” Mager said.
Do not move the car, so that the details can be documented precisely. After that, contact your insurance company.
“People shouldn’t be hesitant to reach out. It has to be a collaborative effort,” Mager said.
People need to be proactive to minimize the chances of such incidents. This includes doing things as small as taking out earbuds and looking around instead of staring at the phone while walking around. Report any suspicious activity. Culprits usually try to conceal themselves and dress in all black.
Safety Services can be reached at (419) 207-5555, by email at [email protected] or through the CampusShield application. You can also stop by their window on the first floor of the Hawkins-Conard Student Center.
