There has been a rising issue about campus auto thefts and burglaries over the last couple of years. Statistics show that during the beginning of the semester is when the rate is the highest.
Director of Public Safety Mark Graf agreed by saying that, “there is a higher rate of theft because there are more cars on the parking lots and designated parking areas. This gives thieves more opportunities to steal cars without being immediately noticed.”
Graf stated that since 2006, the official campus incident report has noted that there has been an approximately 30 percent increase in the amount of auto thefts and burglaries on the Bakersfield College campus.
In an effort to prevent these crimes, Graf said that, “we have agreements set up with the Bakersfield Police and the Highway Patrol. We also have undercover officers on and around BC’s campus. The task force is controlling and patrolling the campus’s parking areas.”
A majority of the thefts have taken place on or off Panorama Drive. Graf suggested that, “for the benefit of the students, they shouldn’t leave appealing or valuable items in sight. This gives the thieves more initiative to break in and burglarize. To minimize the chances of auto theft, students should make sure all doors are locked, and, if possible, they should apply a steering wheel club for extra measures.
“There are auto thefts all over Bakersfield, not just on campus. You can’t just say that BC’s campus is the only place that there have been reported car thefts or burglaries,” said Graf.
Graf said that, most of the time, when suspects are apprehended, they are arrested and prosecuted. Graf related a 2006 instance in which a van was stolen, and the suspects were caught during a routine traffic stop. An officer noticed that there were no license plates on the van. The officer checked up on the vehicle, and he found that the van had been reported stolen. Both suspects were arrested and charged.
Student Miguel Delatore was a victim of two campus thefts in the same month, both taking place in January of this school year, about two and a half weeks apart. Both times Delatore’s car was stolen, it was located on the free parking lot by the baseball field at Haley and University avenues.
When Delatore learned that his car was stolen, there were two campus security officers walking by. Delatore informed them that his car had been stolen, then the officers proceeded to give him the number to the Bakersfield Police station and told him to file a report.
Another student, Miguel Carrillo, had his car stolen on Panorama Drive on the first day of the spring semester. Carrillo did not inform BC about the theft, opting to call the Bakersfield police. When Carrillo received his vehicle two days later, his car stereo and rims were both missing.
According to Carillo, “They found my car on Columbus and Vista two days later.” When Carrillo contacted the authorities, they weren’t able to assist him at the site of the crime. He had to meet them at his house about 45 minutes after the reported incident.