West Campus Crime
Spike in West Campus burglaries prompts APD investigation
The Austin Police Department is investigating a spike in home and auto burglary cases in the West Campus area.
According a press release from APD, there have been nine home burglaries, 18 vehicle burglaries and seven auto thefts in the past month alone.
APD says the majority of the thefts and burglaries occurred in unlocked homes and cars, reminding Austinites to lock their doors and hide possessions from plain sight. In regards to vehicle thefts, the perpetrators appear to be targeting more expensive cars, like BMWs. "In two of these cases, the keys were left in the car and in three of the cases, the keys were stolen from a home or another vehicle," the department says in the press release.
The residential burglaries occurred specifically in the northwest campus area between 30th and 38th streets and West Street and Duval Street. Vehicle burglaries (only possessions were taken from the cars) occurred between Lamar Boulevard and 31st Street, while vehicle thefts took place between Exposition Boulevard and Duval Street.
APD has not released information on whether these acts were a concentrated effort or a coincidence, but the department did reassure that "special initiatives" will be taken in the area in response to the spike.
According to the police chief's monthly statistics reports the number of property crimes in Austin has increased from 3,075 incidents in September 2014 to 3,242 in October 2014; both months saw a decrease from 2013. Statistics for November have not yet been released.