Burglaries from vehicles throughout the Stanford University campus led law enforcement officials to issue a campuswide alert last Tuesday. Police are warning vehicle owners to lock their cars and to refrain from leaving valuables inside.
Stanford Department of Public Safety issued the alert regarding a string of auto burglaries, which spanned from July 2 to 16. In each case, the perpetrators broke windows to gain entry, department officials said.
The incidents were discovered during daylight hours, with most occurring in the mid- to late afternoon. The seven burglaries occurred on July 2, 5, 7, 10 and 16, with two additional burglaries on July 15, according to Stanford police logs.
Stolen items from one car included a nylon bag containing a hearing aid, a power supply, and checkbooks; a second car was missing sunglasses; a third vehicle owner lost two laptops, currency, a Chinese driver’s license, a credit card and car key. Items stolen from a fourth vehicle included backpacks, a gold necklace, passports, Chinese licenses, Chinese currency, medication and a smartphone. The victim of a fifth vehicle lost backpacks, computers, clothing, a passport, credit/debit cards, a driver’s license and computer accessories. Other missing items in another vehicle included a computer charging cord and currency.
The burglaries took place on Quarry Road in South Parking Lot 3; 80 Links Road; Wilbur Field parking structure; Palm Drive; Roth Way and Museum Way. In most cases the cars were locked but most of the victims could not recall if their property was visible, according to the police log.
A few simple practices can help prevent thefts, police said:
• Do not leave valuables inside a vehicle.
• Do not leave valuables unattended on a desk or work area.
• If a vehicle is equipped with an alarm system, activate it each time when the vehicle is unattended.
Most importantly, report all suspicious activity, such as a person loitering around vehicles, peering into vehicles or trying door handles or wandering into an office area without legitimate business and call 911 immediately, police said.
The university also encourages people to encrypt their mobile devices. Information about ways to best protect mobile devices can be found here.
Anyone targeted in a crime is asked to report the incident immediately to local law enforcement. If property stolen on campus contains sensitive or confidential data, the public is encouraged to report the theft immediately to the university’s Privacy Office at 650-725-1828 or privacy@stanford.edu, police said in the alert.
Persons with questions or concerns or who seek additional information about crime prevention can call the Department of Public Safety at 650-723-9633.