CU Police Alert Students About Auto Theives
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Auto thieves have been looking for victims, and now University of Colorado students want to know, who's next?
"A lot of us have just been wondering, 'When's the next car going to get jacked?' I guess we're just hoping nothing bad happens at this point," said CU student Kny Nguyn.
So far two lots have been targeted in the Williams Village area of the campus. CU police say the earliest incident was reported Feb. 7 in a dirt lot marked lot 623. An officer discovered a vehicle there with a broken window and evidence of tampering with the ignition switch.
"For how much they patrol it, to give people parking tickets, you'd think they could patrol it looking for car thieves," said CU student Charles Norwood.
Three weeks later, next to the Bear Creek Apartments, a vehicle was stolen from lot 618. It was found the next day near Denver, but the car crime spree didn't end there.
"Keep all valuables out of sight, park it in an open area, that's all you can do," said Norwood.
On Thursday another vehicle was stolen from lot 618. The next day at 1 a.m. a student reported seeing two suspicious people crouching near a car. Police say they left when they noticed they had been spotted. Police were unable to catch the suspects but identified a vehicle that appeared to be the next target.
Nguyn gave CBS4's Howard Nathan his tips for stopping car crime.
"Probably lock it, make sure no one is around it when they're not supposed to be," Nguyn said.
When Nathan suggested parking in a well-lit area, Nguyn agreed, "Yeah, that's a good one too."
Another student, Kaia Noonan, noticed an increase in the presence of police in recent weeks.
"They stake out over in the left-hand corner over there," Noonan said.
"So the cops are waiting for something?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah, I think they've been watching it pretty closely," Noonan replied.
Suspects have been spotted wearing a bandana to hide their face. The crimes have taken place after midnight or early in the morning.
Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call police.
Howard Nathan is a veteran newsman. Decades later, he still enjoys writing a clever sentence, asking the tough question and talking to people in Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Howard and read his bio.
