In response to five automobile break-ins in as many months on the Medford campus, TUPD is taking action to protect vehicles parked on campus. A public safety alert was issued last Friday, and patrols will be increased in garages and parking lots on campus.
"GPS units were targeted, and additional personal property was also taken," read the alert, which was sent to the student body via e-mail.
Four of the five break-ins occurred in the Lower Campus Garage. The thieves smashed windows to gain entry.
TUPD Sergeant Robert McCarthy said there are no suspects in the break-ins, but only two have been reported in the past two months. He said one occurred last week, while the other happened over winter break.
A public safety alert similar to the Feb. 1 notice was sent out to the campus in August. It also cited "several" automobile break-ins that targeted GPS systems and other valuables.
The Feb. 1 alert noted that any GPS system with a removable bracket should be placed "in the glove box [to] reduce the chances of a thief breaking in to find it." The alert also recommended that valuables be removed from the vehicle whenever possible.
But McCarthy said that hiding a removable GPS system inside one's car is not always adequate protection from thieves.
"A lot of times people think it's safe because they say, 'I'll hide it in the glove compartment,'" he said. "Breaking in and going through, [the thieves will] see the bracket for the GPS system and think it is in the glove compartment or under the seat."
-by Ben Gittleson and Michael Del Moro
