There has been a string of car break-ins on campus recently targeting Spring Hill College students who leave their cars unlocked, or valuable items in plain sight. Spring Hill College may be a small college where students live in a “bubble” of sorts, or so it seems at times. Here, it feels like nothing bad can happen, especially directly on campus. However, this does not mean that we should be any less aware of our surroundings. It is important to know of your resources on campus so that you can reach out to them if anything goes wrong, or if you think that you are not safe at any time. Public safety is always available to help with any needs you may have, from driving you safely home from the library late at night, to unlocking your dorm room if you forget your keys. Todd Warren, Director of Public Safety, is always looking out for the students on campus, and making sure that things run safely.

        Recently, Todd and the public safety staff’s jobs have been a little more involved with the recent car break-ins on campus. “There have been several vehicle burglaries on campus this semester. We had six very close together earlier in the semester and then two recently. Most are in vehicles that were left unlocked, but we have had two where the vehicle was forcibly entered,” Todd said. Public safety has increased their patrol and visibility on campus. “We also partnered with Mobile Police Department and identified a person of interest. The investigation is ongoing at this time” he said. Todd believes that the person or persons responsible for the recent crimes comes from off campus and are specifically targeting the Spring Hill College community where students leave their cars parked around campus all day. Although there are no cameras at any of the campus entrances at this time, Todd has proposed that some cameras be installed at the entrances to take pictures of every license plate that enters the college. “This will help us investigate these cases by allowing us to see who went on campus that was not associated with SHC.” Victims of these car break-ins were assisted as best as public safety could do, Warren said. “We take a report and begin an investigation. We provide them with a copy of the reports in case that they need it for insurance purposes.” Until the perpetrator or perpetrators are caught, students are advised to lock their cars and not to leave valuables in your car in plain sight. To prevent any more break-ins, public safety has set up “vigilant patrol by the campus police.”

Alexa Shelton, a junior, is on the golf team. She parked her car at the golf course one day while she was at practice. Since it was unlocked, a burglar was able to easily steal her purse from inside the car. “I had been parked at the golf course for practice, and I had put my bag under the seat. I forgot to lock my car after I hid the bag, and it was gone when I got back. The car had been locked before I realized my bag was in plain sight, so I had unlocked it only to move the bag. I probably would’ve been better off to keep the car locked with the bag in sight, because they would’ve had to break the window to get it which would’ve attracted attention.” As a precautionary measure, never leave purses, laptops, credit cards, or any other valuables lying around in your car for burglars to see and be tempted to take. Also, make sure to lock your car when it is parked anywhere on campus. As always, you can call public safety at 251-380-4444.