RUPD quells car break-ins, offers tips to protect property

RUPD
quells car break-ins, offers tips to protect property
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BY DANA BENSON
Rice News Staff

Quick response
by the Rice University Police Department to a rash of car
break-ins over the summer has resulted in a decrease in
the crimes, according to Chief Bill Taylor. But Taylor cautions
Rice faculty, staff, students and visitors to protect their
cars and their belongings.

Several cars
parked in the south stadium lot and the west stadium lot
were broken into over the summer, and two other cars parked
near Entrance 12 and the Brown College lot also were vandalized,
Taylor said.

In the west
stadium lot, where construction contractors park, several
workers’ trucks were broken into and stereo equipment
was stolen. In these cases, certain makes and models were
targeted, and the suspects used some sort of device to unlock
the vehicles, Taylor explained. In the south stadium lot
and in the other two lots, vehicles’ windows were broken
and personal items such as purses and wallets were stolen.

The police department
took measures to combat the break-ins in all areas. In the
contractors’ lot, surveillance was conducted and a
security guard was hired. In the south stadium lot, where
faculty, staff, students and visitors park, entrances to
the lot off University Boulevard were closed. Only entrances
to the lot remain open off Greenbriar, and one of those
closes after 9 a.m. This allows the police department to
offer more-restricted access to who enters and leaves the
lot.

But vehicle
owners still should take caution. Taylor encourages faculty,
staff and students never to leave valuables in plain sight
or even in the trunk of a car. He said police used to tell
people to put their valuables in their trunk, but this isn’t
a good idea anymore because most vehicles have a trunk-release
button inside.

“The reality
is that now you shouldn’t leave anything in your car,”
he said. “And if you do put something in the trunk,
don’t do it when other people can see you.”

Taylor also
said that suspects are not necessarily attracted to expensive
items. Even things that people might not consider valuable
could be stolen if left out in the open.

The break-ins
that occurred here weren’t specific to the Rice campus,
Taylor noted. Around the same time, there also were break-ins
in the surrounding neighborhoods and at Hermann and Memorial
parks.

Taylor also
cautioned faculty, staff and students against leaving their
belongings in plain sight when gone from their offices and
dorm rooms. Students who participate in intramural and other
team sports also should not leave their belongings unattended
along the sidelines.