The Moscow Police Department received a string of complaints Wednesday about items being stolen from vehicles parked on the University of Idaho’s campus.
In total, Captain Tyson Berrett, MPD’s Campus Division Commander, said the department received five complaints — four of which are being treated as burglaries and the other as a theft.
A car window was smashed in at least some of the burglaries, all four of which reportedly occurred in a parking lot to the west of the Menard Law Building, Berrett said. He said the theft reportedly occurred in a parking lot near the ASUI Kibbie Dome.
Berrett said the department can’t pin down when the incidents occurred, but noted that the last one was reported at 4:30 a.m. Thursday — the early hours of the start of move-in day.
UI officials warned some students and staff of reported car prowling by sending a notice Thursday morning to people who’ve opted in to Vandal Alert, a system that people affiliated with the university can sign up for. The notification included advice on how to reduce chances of a burglary, like parking in lighted areas and removing valuables from one’s car; it did not specify an area on campus that they were occurring in.
Captain Berrett said, because the incidents were concentrated in a specific area, he believes it was a single perpetrator casing vehicles in the vicinity.
He said vehicle burglaries happen throughout the year, but it’s rare that the department sees what’s commonly called “smash and grab” incidents. Typically, Berrett said car burglaries are done by thieves breaking into cars left unlocked.
Berrett also advised that drivers should leave valuables out of sight if they leave it in their vehicle.
“All four of the vehicles that got broken in to had valuables that you could see from the outside of the vehicle,” Berrett said. “There were a lot of cars in that parking lot that didn’t get broken into.”
The department has no suspects as of Thursday evening. Berrett said they’ve obtained fingerprints on one car, but says it’ll likely be months before useable results are back from the laboratory. Meanwhile, Berrett said MPD is working with campus security personnel to review video footage.
Kyle Pfannenstiel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @pfannyyy.