The pit in Joshua Ruchty’s stomach grew as the reality of the situation began to sink in. He knew something was wrong when he saw the smashed-in window of his friend’s car in the parking lot.

“Did my car get broken into?” he wondered.

The shimmers from the glass on the cement next to his car validated his fears.

“That figures,” he thought.

He’d been on his way to sell plasma that morning to help pay rent; now he’d have to file a police report instead.

There he stood: alone, dehumanized and taken advantage of. It’s a feeling not uncommon among car owning BYU students.

According to Provo City crime reports, there were 566 reported thefts from vehicles in a one-year period from Feb. 2008 to Feb. 2009.

Some students have decided to fight back against vehicle thefts. Ruchty, a sophomore majoring in psychology, said the Provo City Police don’t do enough to protect citizens.

“[The police] said they were too busy, getting cats out of trees or writing snowball tickets, I have to assume,” Ruchty said. “Instead I gathered over 15 friends from around Provo to stake out the parking lot.”

Ruchty said it was probably a good thing no one showed up that night.

“Who knows what could’ve happened,” Ruchty said.

Captain Cliff Argyle of the Provo City Police said he believes vigilantism is an unnecessary citizen action. “Our stand is that we are never in favor of civilians taking the law into their own hands.”

Jonathan Brooks, a senior majoring in geography, owned one of the seven cars broken into at the Winsor Arms apartments on Feb. 12.

“They weren’t necessarily nicer cars but nicer things in the cars,” Brooks said. “It seemed like every car they broke into had a stereo or an iPod visible.”

Items that are usually stolen include iPods, CD players, amps, laptops and cash. However, some victims wonder about the competency of the thieves.

“One of the girls had her windows bashed in for a pair of cheap girl sunglasses. On the other hand they left $40 sunglasses on my dash,” Ruchty said. “I’m guessing these guys are one, idiots, and two, not very selective. We are targeted because our cars are simply there.”

Lt. John Geyerman of the Provo City Police Department confirmed other suspicions that many of the break-ins are connected. “It’s the same people doing the same kinds of things,” he said.

However, Argyle suggested several things residents can do in order to protect their cars against thieves.

“Leaving valuables in your car is an advertisement to have someone beak into their car,” Argyle said. “It’s the basics. Don’t leave valuables in your car. Nine times out of 10, items are left out in plain view.”

According to police, thieves prefer underground parking or parking that is poorly lit.

“The underground parking lots are hard for us to patrol,” Argyle said. “If [apartments] could install more lights or have some surveillance equipment it would help.”

Argyle said if apartment complexes would simply add more light to underground parking, it would greatly reduce the amount of break-ins. He also suggested students who have car alarms should set them.

Many students are demanding that their complexes upgrade security and lighting in parking lots.

Aaron Kirk, a junior majoring in psychology, said he feels his car was targeted because it was parked in a dimly lit underground parking garage.

“As students, we pay an outrageous amount of money to live in these places,” Kirk said. “The least they can do is offer us a little more protection and peace of mind. Simply warning us and giving us flimsy advice on how to avoid these situations doesn’t help.”

Diana Wustemann, property manager of Lanai Condominiums, listened to residents’ complaints and said her company appreciates its renters and their suggestions on how to make the property more secure.

“We had a police officer come and he talked about what [students] can do to safeguard their vehicles,” Wustemann said. “We would like to do our best to help them feel safe and help protect their property. We are doing what we can.”

Currently Lanai Condominiums is considering installing video cameras, locks on stairwells and garage doors for the underground parking.

“We are turning this place into Fort Knox,” Wustemann joked. “Many managers don’t know it’s a problem. Our [complex] will be protected, but [the thieves] will just move on to another complex that isn’t as prepared.”

Wustemann hopes to organize property managers to hire security for the purpose of patrolling the parking lots.

While some apartment managers are willing to help their tenants, others are less than accommodating.

Ruchty said he tried to talk with his apartment manager about checking the video surveillance camera that was installed less than a year ago.

“The only thing I got from him was the responsibility to clean up my car’s broken window glass from his floor,” Ruchty said.

While some students may turn to defending their vehicles through brute force, others are looking for more peaceful ways to resolve the problem.

“We all just need to keep our eyes open and watch out for each other,” Jonathan Brooks said. “People report the stupidest things in the police beat. If they could put that same energy into reporting crimes off-campus, we might stop vehicle break-ins.”

Brooks said he felt students need to band together more. He suggested students watch out for each others’ property and also contact their property managers, insisting a change.

mrdeighton@gmail.com

Copyright Brigham Young University 23 Feb 2009