The Northeastern Police Department is taking action after a string of car break-ins on campus, urging students, faculty and staff to keep valuables hidden when leaving their cars in lots and garages.
The main target of the recent thefts has been global positioning systems (GPS), which can range in price from $100 to more than $1,000. Five stolen GPS devices have been reported in the past month, most from Renaissance Garage, said James Ferrier, associate director of public safety.
Ferrier said Northeastern is not the only area experiencing GPS device thefts, noting that a high number of the devices have been reported stolen statewide.
“Clearly it’s a product that a lot of people probably got for Christmas,” Ferrier said. “It’s a very vulnerable and attractive piece of equipment, and it’s an item that’s easy to be sold on the street.”
In Brookline, police have nabbed two men who were allegedly stealing the devices from parked cars. As soon as next week, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) officials will be handing out flyers warning commuters about keeping their GPS devices hidden while parking at T stops, Ferrier said.
Northeastern will be taking measures of its own, including posting permanent signs outside all campus garages and lots urging students to keep any valuables they leave in their cars hidden from plain view. Putting a CD player or a GPS device under the seat or in the trunk of the car can deter thieves from breaking in, Ferrier said.
“We need to do what I call ‘Harden the target,'” Ferrier said. “If 49 of them put [GPS devices] under the seat and one leaves it on the dashboard, I can tell you which one is going to get stolen.”
All the thefts have taken place during the day, Ferrier said, and no forced entry has been made into cars unless the device was clearly visible. He urged anyone who sees people acting suspiciously in or around parking areas on campus to contact the police.
“We’d appreciate a phone call,” Ferrier said. “Use common sense. Call us if you see something suspicious.”
Despite the thefts, several students said they usually leave belongings visible when parking their cars on campus.
“I feel like it can happen anywhere,” said Erin Breton, a senior nursing major who has been commuting to campus for two years. She said she feels her car has more of a chance of getting hit by other cars in the parking lot than being targeted by thieves.
Others, like middler electrical engineering major Jules Nohra, said while they have the option of taking the valuables with them, they feel no need to do so.
“I don’t feel like my car would stand out around all these other cars,” he said. Although he has a CD changer in his car, he said he’s only on campus for short periods of time during the day.
“I don’t feel really unsafe,” he said.
