Kate Dehart walked to her car parked in the C-17 parking garage on the UT campus on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 19, and found it to be burglarized. When arriving at her vehicle, Dehart saw her car window shattered by a chunk of concrete and her GPS device missing.

"After the initial shock and crying from the big broken mess of my window, I felt really, really thankful they only wanted my grandparents' old GPS. I had left my backpack with my laptop and wallet in it, as well as paperwork with my Social Security number on it," Dehart said.

The incident is part of a string of car burglaries in UT parking garages, which usually occur because the perpetrator can visibly see expensive items in the car window.

"Many burglaries are crimes of opportunity. High value electronic items are frequently left in plain view with windows down or doors unlocked," UTPD Captain Keith Lambert said.

The most frequently stolen items are electronic equipment, such as iPods, stereos and GPS devices, according to police.

According to Dehart, "From what the officer told me, there was a string of break-ins around campus where just the GPSs were being stolen."

Within the past few months, the amount of car burglaries reported in the crime log of UT's The Daily Beacon has become more prominent.

"It is important for community members to be aware of crime trends in the campus area that could impact them. This information allows them to make informed decisions about risk reduction strategies," Lambert said.

Many burglaries are crimes of opportunity. High value electronic items are frequently left in plain view with windows down or doors unlocked. UTPD Captain Keith Lambert

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Crime on Campus Report, larceny and theft compromise the largest percentage of offenses on campus. They accounted for 38 percent of all crimes on Tennessee campuses in 2008.

Although the number of auto burglary offenses significantly decreased from 2007 to 2008, it seems the numbers this year could be higher than ever.

"There has been an increase in auto burglaries from last year to this year. I have no basis to determine if more people are simply reporting them or if there are more actual incidents," Lambert said.

Even if the car is parked for only a few minutes, students and faculty are still at risk of having their vehicle robbed.

"An auto burglary may take only seconds to occur. Leaving doors unlocked or windows down allows a criminal to enter the vehicle without drawing any attention to the crime occurring," Lambert explained. "There have been several arrests of suspects trespassing in our garages this semester."

There are several ways to avoid being a victim of auto burglary in the UT garages.

"Place high value items out of plain view. Park your vehicle in a well-lit area. Lock all doors and windows. Record serial numbers of all portable electronics or your property engraved through Operation ID," Lambert said.

Operation ID is a free service offered by UTPD.

Lambert said that most robberies occur in the evening because it is easier to disguise yourself at night.

"There's only so much patrolling the officers can do," Dehart said. "The best thing to do is to take all your valuables out of your car or put them somewhere out of sight, including the stands or chargers for them.  Also, trashed out cars seem to be broken into less, so there's a good excuse to keep the cups and dirty laundry in the back."

UTPD still has no leads on Dehart's reported incident.

If your car is burglarized, please contact UTPD at 865-974-4072.