The suspected larcenists behind approximately eight on-campus vehicle break-ins and several others off-campus on the morning of Friday, March 7 have been caught by University Police (UPD).
The three white males in their 20s with no university affiliation have been detained for these recent crimes on North Campus. UPD suspect that Nicholas Long, Ardon Heil and Dallas Hicks, all of Amherst, are responsible for many car break-ins on campus.
Lieutenant Chris Bartolomei and several officers are responsible for the arrests made the morning of the crimes.
In the arrest, police acted on a report from an individual of three young white males going through the trunks and interior of various vehicles in Hadley Village, according to the UPD incident report. At 3 a.m., the police on patrol stopped a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect vehicle on Sweethome Road.
The suspect vehicle, a dark colored SUV, contained a vacuum that was reported stolen, along with other items including textbooks, radios, tools, clothing and a backpack.
These were the first car break-ins of the semester on both North and South Campuses.
"We were all proud of the fact that we had zero break-ins at the beginning of the year. And then all of a sudden we had this rash of vehicle break-ins, but the good point about that is we caught the people who were doing it," said UPD Community Liaison Officer Wayne Colton, who is spearheading the University Police Vehicle Burglary Initiative 2008.
Many efforts have been made by UPD to decrease the number of on-campus incidences since Jan. 2008 including a South Campus campaign to raise awareness of ways to prevent vehicle thefts. Informational signs, brochures and announcements have decreased the number of car break-ins from 27 in 2007 to the recent eight in 2008. These efforts will expand to North Campus, Colton said.
The majority of car break-ins occur in Sherman Lot, Main Bailey Lot and Michael Farber Lot on campus, according to a crime analysis by UPD. Global Positioning Systems (GPS), iPods, radar detectors and other valuables in plain view, exchanged for quick cash by the thieves, are generally the main targets of these forced entries, according to Colton.
This type of thievery is a growing trend that is not unique to UB or the Buffalo area.
"It is not just here...across the country there is a sharp increase in vehicle break-ins. It is largely due to the proliferation of electronic devices. It is a quick and easy thing for someone to steal, which they can turn out quickly in the street. You could make quick money on them," Colton said.
Colton explained that this crime is as easy to prevent as it is to be a victim.
"If you don't leave things in plain view, then you are not going to be the victim of that kind of crime," he said.
UPD has taken steps to make UB community members aware of simple and effective vehicle burglary prevention. The far-reaching effects of car break-ins include a great toll on the community in addition to the monetary and psychological effects on the primary victims, Colton explained.
"It's a huge quality of life issue. You have the victim whose car was broken into and a huge sense of violation. When people don't feel safe in their environment then they're less likely to become part of that environment - they are less likely to report crime, economic losses and productivity losses," Colton said.
UPD is taking a proactive stance in response to the crimes on campus, according to Colton. The police will continue distributing anti-theft information to vehicle owners on campus despite the recent string of crimes. They will also continue distribution twice a year on a regular basis targeting new community members.
UPD is considering new strategies to prevent auto-burglaries such as decoy cars, portable scrolling marquees to broadcast warnings, surveillance cameras, mass mailing of Vehicle Burglary Report Cards and poster campaigns.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
