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Right before Thanksgiving break, property crime on campus was on the rise.
UNM Police Department Operations Lt. Trace Peck said that the number of backpack and bicycle thefts increased by more than half the usual number the week before the four-day weekend. But he said the department saw this coming.
“In a normal week, we usually have 12 larcenies,” Peck said. “That week we had 17. It’s nothing unexpected. You see that before the holiday season.”
But Peck said that the department expects the number to go down in coming weeks, when many students leave the campus for the holidays.
Peck said the increase in the number of property crimes on campus is due in part to students’ negligence.
“Most people make an order at the SUB, and they leave their backpacks on their table,” he said. “When they return, all of a sudden, their laptop in their backpack is missing and they don’t know why.”
Peck said that students can take precautions against bike thefts by registering their bikes with UNMPD. He said students can register in person or through the police department’s website. He also said he advises students to invest on a durable bike lock.
“Students really go with the new locks,” he said. “The chains are easily defeated, unless you get the big commercial chains, but they’re so heavy, no one wants to carry those.”
UNMPD public information officer Lt. Tim Stump said UNMPD’s online crime reporting system, which the department launched this semester, has helped increase the number of reported property crimes.
“It’s quick for them to file a report,” he said. “They don’t have to come up here. They won’t have to waste their time, and say, ‘It’s just a bike.’”
Peck said the online reporting system also aims to prevent an increase in the number by making students more aware of where incidents happen.
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“When you report a crime, the online system takes that crime and pinpoints it on a map. You pull up this map and you can see where every crime is committed on this campus,” he said. “It’s a good resource for everyone.”
And to prevent further increase in the number of unsolved cases, students should contact UNMPD as soon as they see something suspicious.
“We don’t get calls right away. We get calls 15 minutes later,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never seen a kid without a phone. Call us right away. Everybody has a Lobo ID, our number’s there. Call us immediately.”
N’Djamena Marmon, a UNM junior studying biology, said more police patrols might stem the number of property crimes on campus. Still, she said students should be accountable for their belongings at all times.
“More monitoring might work,” she said. “But if you don’t want something stolen, you just have to take responsibility yourself to keep it safe.”
Peck said UNMPD performed 1,100 building walkthroughs last month, which averaged to about 36 walkthroughs around campus every day. He said the department completed more walkthroughs than the number of calls they received last month.
But the department plans to do more if needed, he said.
“We can’t say we’re ever doing enough,” he said. “But we’re trying to do as much as we can.”
