Car thefts have been on the rise, both around the city and on campus.
According to Lieutenant Tim Stump of UNMPD, car thefts on campus have nearly doubled from 64 car thefts in 2015 to 124 in 2016.
Albuquerque as a whole now has the highest auto theft rate of any city in the country, according to Yahoo Finance, with about 677 auto thefts per 100,000 people.
“It is a big epidemic,” Stump said. “It’s one of our main concerns right now, it’s been mine for a while. We have to determine what we can try to do to deter this. All year long we’re making these assessments and trying to figure out how to combat this.”
Stump also said the thefts are sporadic, with no specific areas on campus being targeted. In addition, it is difficult to identify the crime because of how quickly thieves can break in.
“The other thing we talk about is that auto theft is one of the hardest things to watch people do...it looks just like a normal person getting in a car and taking the car,” he said.
These factors make it difficult to combat the issue, but UNMPD has taken several measures in the hope of preventing more cases, he said.
“Throughout ’15 and ’16 we utilized APD’s auto theft unit as far as signs, baits cars — we had a bait car in Lobo Village,” Stump said. “It’s at the forefront of our mind. We do patrol the lots. They do checks on foot, they do checks in cars. We have 20, 30 checks a day of different lots...We’re always trying to be out there to find some of the people doing this. And we know what kind of cars they take so we try to watch that.”
He also said part of the issue is that the individuals behind these thefts are often released within a few days of their arrest, after which they continue their practice.
“A lot of times these kids, we’re catching them in stolen cars all over the city and they’re off the next day stealing cars again,” he said.
Barbara Morck, director of UNM Parking and Transportation Services, said PATS is doing its part to reduce the number of incidences.
PATS is in the process of improving security cameras in the three parking structures, she said, adding that enforcement officers and the bus drivers providing shuttle services are also instructed to “keep a watchful eye” and report any unusual or suspicious activity.
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Morck said the commuter lots (G, Q and South Lots) are patrolled Monday through Friday by an outside security company, paid for by PATS. She said she sees the poor economy of the state as the root cause of the issue.
“As the state’s economy continues to struggle and resources continue to diminish, desperate people will continue to resort to unethical and/or unlawful activities in order to get their needs met,” Morck said.
Both UNMPD and PATS recommend taking care not to leave valuables where they are visible in the car, and suggest looking into a theft deterrent device such as steering wheel locks or products like the “LoJack.”
“It is a big issue with us and it is something that we’re trying to deal with,” Stump said. “Anything suspicious, really, call us. That gives us reason to go out and look.”
Gabriella Rivera is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
