By Rebekah Green

University Campus police encourages students to protect themselves against the high raising numbers of vehicle thefts around our county.

The amount of total thefts just within our neighboring city of Escondido this past August was 220, and the total amount of motor vehicle theft was 93, according to www.crimestats.arjis.org.

“Over the summer months, there were an unusually large amount of vehicle thefts and burglaries in the cities surrounding our university,” stated a recently posted campus wide announcement from University Campus Police.

On or off campus, students are encouraged to be more attentive of their belongings and surroundings, especially in parking lots. The campus announcement also states that although there have not been such recent incidences of vehicle theft on campus, students should be sharp about any suspicious activity.

University Campus Police advises students to contact them (760-750-4567) with any related concerns or reports.

Another helpful source is the University Police Video Series (found at http://www.csusm.edu/police/video_series.html) which provides a link to a Preventing Vehicle Theft video.

Some other simple ways to keep your vehicles safe include, but are not limited to:

-Making sure your vehicle is locked (this includes windows and any other safety locks).

-Keeping keys with you and perhaps having a spare key available.

-Be sure that any personal information is not left within the vehicle if unattended.

-Know your vehicles information number.

-Valuables should not remain in an unattended vehicle, especially if they are out in the open. If needed, it is wise to place them somewhere not visible but locked in, such as the trunk, underneath seats, or in the glove compartment.

-Be sure to check your vehicle before entering, especially if it is dark.

-Try making copy of your vehicle’s registration to keep with you in case of an emergency.

-It is recommended that security devices such as the Stolen Vehicle Recovery System (SVRS) be installed to help law enforcement reclaim stolen vehicles.

For more details on this vehicle protection list see www.sdsheriff.net.

If you are seeking to become more involved in the prevention of theft and other crimes, Cougar Watch, the community’s crime prevention program, holds meetings and encourages students, faculty and staff to help be the watchful eyes of the school, while providing information on matters like vehicle and office safety, identity theft, and much more. Another program provides students with someone to turn to when needing to report a crime. The University Crime Stoppers Program (http://www.csusm.edu/police/crimestoppers.html) works with the San Diego County Crime Stoppers giving students the ability to anonymously tip with a single toll-free phone call (888-580-8477).

With various sources available, students are even more capable of preventing theft and other crimes on campus and within the community. These tips are just a few of the many things that students can follow on and off campus, in order to bring down the crime statistics and bring those responsible to justice.