A string of car vandalizations and thefts on and near the University of Denver campus has left students, faculty and staff uneasy about leaving their vehicles unattended.
“I should feel secure leaving my car in DU’s parking lot,” said DU freshman Sara Shvartzman. “It’s ridiculous that I don’t feel safe.”
Shvartzman’s 1994 Honda Accord was stolen from the Centennial Halls Parking lot two weeks ago. In its place, she said, was a 1996 Honda Accord with its door smashed in and its transmission pulled out. The car had been reported stolen from Colfax Avenue.
“The [’96 Honda] had parking tickets. They didn’t even think that it was weird that it was mangled,” she said.
Shvartzman’s experience was just one among a rash of break-ins lately, said Ty Mills, associate director of Campus Safety.
Mills said that the individuals vandalizing and breaking into cars are using minivans that cannot be traced back to the suspects themselves. The plates register as stolen vehicles. Mills said that information doesn’t help them identify individual suspects.
Mills said the areas most prone to break-ins are the lots outside Centennial Halls and Towers, under Nelson Hall and outside of Johnson-McFarlane Hall.
Sophomore Kristen Hensel was among the vandalization victims on Super Bowl Sunday. Four cars, including Hensel’s 1995 Saturn, were broken into at the lot outside Centennial Towers. She said that she returned home from work at 8:30 p.m. and campus safety called to inform her about her car at 11 p.m.
Hensel’s front passenger window was smashed. “It looks like they used a crowbar or something to remove my stereo because my whole console is shredded out,” she said.
“I don’t know if I even want to replace it as long as I’m living in Towers because I don’t want to risk getting another stereo stolen.”
Campus Safety took her information and gave Hensel a police report so she could take it to the police department.
She tied the problem to her car not having an alarm, but also expressed anger towards a lack of security. “You would think for the amount of money that we pay to go here and the amount of money that we pay to park in these parking lots, we would have a little more security,” she explained.
Hensel’s roommate’s 1997 Saturn was broken into a couple weeks after hers. Her window and console were also broken, and her stereo and wallet were stolen.
“I know that now they are putting notices on people’s cars to tell them that their valuables are in plain sight, but it’s too late for that for me,” said Hensel.
Mills said that Campus Safety is doing as much as they can to prevent future thefts, but the nature of the crimes makes doing so difficult.
“It’s happening in all different areas and at sporadic times,” he said. “The problem is that there is no set pattern (of places and times that cars are vandalized or stolen). It’s awful hard to combat that type of situation.”
Campus Safety has distributed flyers to students with tips on how to keep automobiles safe. In addition, they are increasing foot and vehicle patrols in the lots outside of the residence halls.
According to campus safety, Chrystler/Dodge/Plymouth Colt is the car that is most often stolen, followed by Jeep/Grand Cherokee, Honda Accords and Honda Civics.
“If these criminals can break into four cars at 9 p.m., then what’s to say that someone wouldn’t get mugged or raped in the same parking lot without anyone seeing them or protecting them?” Hensel pointed out.
To report suspicious people or vehicles to Campus Safety, call x13000.
