Car stolen on campus property

A 1991 maroon Chevy S10 was reported missing from a campus parking lot at 3:06 p.m. on Oct. 11.

According to Detective Sergeant Leo Finnerty, the vehicle’s owner was on his way back to class when he noticed his car missing. The ignition, which had been pulled out of the vehicle, was found on the ground.

Finnerty said it is likely that the car was targeted as “more of a ride home, or to go do something like a burglary or something like that.”

With license plates and vehicle identification numbers, auto-theft victims have a chance of being reunited with their vehicles. Campus police use the Indiana Data and Communication System together with the National Crime Information Center. These systems keep track of many types of crime, such as theft. When a vehicle’s plates or vehicle identification number is run through the systems, the officer will know if that vehicle is stolen, and to whom it belongs.

Finnerty said that vehicle theft on campus is not a frequent occurrence.

“[There have] only been a couple since I’ve been here in the last five years,” Finnerty said.

More frequently, however, students go to campus police thinking their car has been stolen. The campus police proceed to drive around with the student in every lot until the car is found.

A common misconception is that vehicles or persons must be gone for more than 24 hours in order to be reported missing. Finnerty was adamant that this is not the case. He stressed that once something or someone is noticed missing, it should be reported.

 “As soon as we get a report, we put it into IDACS,” Finnerty said.

Other vehicle crimes on campus include hit-and-runs. PUC parking lots have many cameras though, making the possibility of escaping responsibility slim.

“If you bump into another car in the lot or parking garage, stop and call us, or we might be calling you,” Finnerty said.