Technology Devices Attractive in Car Break-Ins

By Ashley Bene

While the Athens “crime emergency” hasn’t affected on-campus crime, the University of Georgia Police Department warns students to be safe and keep their personal items out of their cars.

Corporal Darrell Ponder of the UGA Police Department said that while on-campus vehicle break-ins haven’t been on the rise, students should always take precautions to keep their valuables like iPods or laptops safe.

“Lock your doors,” Corporal Ponder said. “Roll up your windows, and anything of value, take it with you.”

Thieves tend to be looking for things they can grab quickly, according to Corporal Ponder. Small electronics items like iPods, GPS devices, or even laptops are most likely to attract thieves. Even change in the center console can spark a break-in.

“The main thing we find is a lot of the time people leave items of value in their car,” Corporal Ponder said.

Although being on a campus can make students feel safer, Corporal Ponder warns against students letting their guards down. He says people forget UGA is an open campus, and its not just people from outside breaking into cars either. It can be students too.

“Sometimes people just walk by and pull on door handles and if the car is unlocked, they get your stuff,” Corporal Ponder said.

Many students are already taking precautions.

Lindley Curtis, a senior majoring in Public Relations from Jonesboro, Ga., parks in the North Campus Parking deck. She said she never worries about her car being broken into.

Curtis said a friend’s car was broken into last year because her friend left his iPod on the front seat. She said she takes her iPod and GPS device with her whenever she leaves her car.

“I’m very conscious of my surroundings and I make sure every time I leave my car that I pick everything up off the seat,” Curtis said.

Jennifer Bell, a sophomore Spanish and geography major from Lawrenceville, Ga., says she went to a police seminar about staying safe around campus.

“After going to that, I definitely stepped it up.”

Bell says she keeps valuable items, like her iPod, on her at all times. The only things she leaves in her car are clothes or similar personal items.

“I set my car alarm, but I feel that no one’s going to steal anything.”

Corporal Ponder warns that parking decks tend to be the most heavily hit. They are more difficult for police to patrol because of the many levels. Parking lots closer to downtown are also more likely to be hit.

And as for using a car alarm, Corporal Ponder warns that it’s not a sure-fire safety device.

“Alarms go off so much, they don’t mean anything to people,” Corporal Ponder said. “If the police hear an alarm, we’ll usually go investigate though.”

Corporal Ponder said sometimes students who come from small towns or affluent areas aren’t as diligent about locking their car doors as they should be.

Curtis says her hometown, Jonesboro, Ga., is ranked as the 5th most dangerous county in Georgia.

“I have to take those precautions whether I’m at home or in Athens” Curtis said. “It’s just something that, because of where I grew up, it’s a habit.”