Is it crazy to ask for a college campus in which you can feel comfortable when leaving your car unattended overnight? SMU is a hotbed of criminal activity when it comes to car thefts.”How many more break-ins will it take for SMU to take action?” swears Matthew Kreth, 23, a recent Southern Methodist alum whose car was broken into second semester last year.It was daylight at 3 p.m. in the sorority parking lot at SMU when a team of vandals used a combination of crowbars and sheer fist power to steal Kreth’s stereo equipment and slash the seats and dash of his Ford F150 truck. This is just one of many burglaries on campus.
Car thefts have been a long standing problem for SMU students and faculty. The thefts are not merely limited to certain parking structures or sections of the campus. They have occurred at one point in time nearly everywhere on campus.
“You are lucky to graduate without having your car broken into at least once during your time at SMU” remarks Andrew Moldovan, 21, a junior computer engineering major. Moldovan’s car has been vandalized twice in the past two years, once in the Dedman Three lot and another time in front of the Beta fraternity house on fraternity row. The first incident occurred at 8 p.m. two days before spring break. The thieves broke into his Explorer and stole over $5,000 worth of stereo equipment and bled all over the interior of his vehicle.
Once Moldovan had discovered his car had been broken into, he alerted SMU Police immediately. There was blood on the door handles, seats and glass. There were three perpetrators; one to smash the window and two to pillage the car as quickly as possible, according to SMU PD. The police did not request DNA or fingerprint samples, as they said “the lab has more important things to deal with,” according to Moldovan. The thieves have not been apprehended.
In November 2004, Moldovan’s car was parked outside the Beta house in a line of student’s cars. In the rain the next morning, Moldovan found his car window broken with his Valentine One radar detector stolen. Four other students had their cars broken into on frat row that same night. His insurance did not cover his Valentine One, so he had to purchase another one. The Valentine One detectors cost over $400. This second incident cost him over $1,600, including his deductible to cover the broken window, water damage and his stolen radar detector.
Moldovan is one of many people to have had their vehicles burglarized on SMU’s campus. Forty-five burglaries of vehicles have been reported to SMU PD since January 2005, as listed on SMU PD’s official Web site. On Oct. 13, a student’s vehicle was stolen from the 2900 block of the north Binkley Avenue alley. On Sept. 15, a handheld GPS device was stolen from a student’s car. On Sept. 12, a vehicle was burglarized while parked in Moody garage. On Aug. 5, five contractor’s vehicles had been burglarized on the 2900 block of SMU Blvd. On Aug. 15, items were stolen from a student’s car in Airline garage. The list continues for several pages.
However, there has been some effort on the school’s behalf to reduce crime. SMU has installed cameras in various locations on campus to record and help deter criminal activity. In the instance of Moldovan’s second break-in, a camera on top of Moody garage was pointed directly in the vicinity of his vehicle. According to Moldovan, the police said the images from the camera were too blurry to see what happened.
Students who live on campus do not have a choice whether or not to park on campus. “If you leave your car in Dedman Three overnight you might as well kiss your car goodbye – because it won’t be there when you return,” said Amaan Amhad, 21, a junior business major living on campus.
Amhad feels extremely conscious of where he leaves his vehicle. “It’s only a matter of time,” Amhad says when referring to the likelihood of his car being burglarized. Amhad accredits the difference in crime statistics between Highland Park and SMU to SMU being right next to the 75 providing for an easy getaway for criminals.
According to SMU Police Chief Snellgrove, when interviewed by the SMU’s Daily Campus, “Everyone needs to realize that burglary motor vehicles are all over the country. People can’t avoid having their cars burglarized. But it can be reduced by taking some simple measures.” It’s true one cannot completely avoid cars being burglarized, but SMU PD can certainly reduce the amount of thefts by focusing on patrolling the parking lots more frequently. This year, there have been over 100 more alcohol violations issued than last year. Perhaps, the SMU police department should focus more on campus safety and less on cases of public intoxication.
I want to leave this article with a call to action for both students and parents of SMU. Until we as a group unite and make it known to the administration that the safety of students vehicles is greatly being put at risk nothing will be done. Make phone calls, write letters, stand on soap boxes or do whatever it takes to let the authorities know that we need change and we need to put a stop to the rampant car burglaries on campus.
John Thomas is a junior advertising major. He may be contacted at [email protected].
