Wednesday October 3, 2001

Stereos stolen from several cars at lot on Prince Road

Several cars were broken into at an off-campus parking lot in what may be related incidents, a UAPD official said. As recently as Friday, a vehicle parked at the lot was broken into, police reports stated.

University of Arizona Police Department Cmdr. Brian Seastone said the recent rash of break-ins took place in the lot located at 1370 E. Prince Road, the northern end of a CatTran route.

"The area is isolated where that parking lot is, so it is vulnerable," he said.

Mike Delahanty, operations manager for Parking and Transportation Services, said the university leases the lot from private owners for student parking.

There are two UA lots in the area, but both are privately owned and patrolled primarily by the Tucson Police Department.

UAPD does not patrol that lot very often, but with the recent rash of break-ins, it increased its patrols in the area.

"We'll go out there but not too often·but UAPD has been patrolling the area more often, and at times they have noticed a pattern in the break-ins," Seastone said.

He said that to minimize theft chances, students should put CDs, packages and other valuable items in the trunk of the car or leave them at home.

If a car stereo has a detachable face, the student should remove it from the car and carry it. If it cannot be removed, Seastone said, placing a blanket or towel over the dashboard conceals the stereo from outside view.

Seastone also recommended car alarms as good security devices because they attract attention to a vehicle break-in.

When possible, students should avoid leaving their vehicles in isolated lots for long periods of time during the day.

"Students should be aware it is occurring and try their best not to leave their car parked there for long periods of time," Seastone said.

He added that people should report any strange activity at campus parking lots and that vehicle break-ins could decrease with more community involvement.