On Aug. 21, there were multiple vehicle break-ins in the Truman State University parking lots.
The break-ins occurred in the Campbell Apartments, the soccer field and Ryle Hall parking lots. There were several individuals involved with the break-ins, and at least seven cars were broken into, said University Police Sergeant, Jeremy Cordray.
“There were probably cars they got into and didn’t take anything from,” Cordray said. “A lot of the things that were taken were fairly minor or insignificant, that I’m aware of.”
The items taken were mainly coins and personal items like cell phone cables, Cordray said.
Cordray said as far as University Police can tell, the vehicles broken into were unlocked. On the security camera video, it does not appear that anyone forced their way in. There are no reports of property damage to the vehicles, Cordray said.
The new security cameras installed over the summer have been used several times, such as for vehicle and bicycle-type incidents, Cordray said.
“Without [the security cameras] we wouldn’t have any idea of who it was, when it was, how it happened,” Cordray said. “So it really helps fill in a lot of blanks.”
While the new security cameras can provide leads that University Police may not have otherwise, they still need to identify the suspects in the video, Cordray said.
Because of the new security cameras, it may be possible that the number of vehicle break-in reports will increase, Cordray said.
“I think that we’re going to see some of the numbers [of reported vehicle break-ins] increasing. Because people know that we have cameras, they’re more likely to report [vehicle break-ins],” Cordray said. “Whereas before, if nothing was missing, maybe they didn’t report it, so our numbers for [vehicle break-ins] may go up.”
Cordray said that even though there are cameras on campus now, people should still report suspicious activity.
Some students expressed opinions on how safe they believe their belongings are on campus.
“It’s not necessarily that I believe my stuff is unsafe, but it feels like the University won’t take responsibility for if something does happen to my belongings,” senior Tyler Kim said.
Another student, junior MaKenna Carnes, said she thinks campus crimes are often petty crimes when compared to other Kirksville crimes.
Carnes is a lifetime resident of Kirksville, and she believes drugs are a large problem in the Kirksville community. Carnes said the drugs, combined with the lack of stimulation and things to do in Kirksville, may be part of what leads people to commit crimes like this.
“I think that Kirksville Parks and Rec are doing a really good job at trying to get out there,” Carnes said. “But hopefully, people on campus can do a really good job of joining community things so that there’s less need for petty theft and things like that.”