Sex. Drugs. Rape. Murder.
Drunk driving. Theft. These are
but a few of the things
happening right outside our
doorways, yet most of the time
we are totally oblivious to
everything except what’s
directly affecting us.
We also have the silly notion
that such atrocities “won’t
happen to me. ” We might as
well forget that one right now. It
can happen to us. And we need
to be prepared.
The University Police
Department is doing all it can to
ensure the safety of students,
staff and faculty on the A&M
campus. As many people know,
officers watch campus parking
areas from the rooftops of
several campus buildings. But
many may be unaware of the
plainclothes police officers who
sit on benches or walk around
campus in the early evenings
and at night.
The UPD is even
experimenting with the use of
electronic devices. Such
methods are used in places like
G. Rollie White Coliseum and
the Memorial Student Center in
the forms of marked money
and censors.
According to Robert E. Wiatt,
director of the UPD, these
methods are being used to
catch the lawbreakers “in the
act,” as well as to deter the
criminals altogether.
The best deterrent, however,
is safety education. This is the
main emphasis of crime
prevention, Wiatt says.
The UPD works in
conjunction with both the
Bryan and College Station
Police Departments and with
the Brazos County Sheriff s
Office to educate the public in
such safety areas as locking
your home and marking your
valuables. Members of all the
police departments are
available to make safety
speeches to any interested
group.
Wiatt says the police also
work in cooperation with
manufacturers of various kinds
of locks to help teach people
which locks are best for their
needs.
“(Safety) education has got
to be a blanket effect and has
got to be continuous, ” Wiatt
says. “If it’s not continuous,
people forget.”
This education is important
because misdemeanor crime is
so prevalent at A&M.
“This University has
historically led all others in
misdemeanor thefts, ” Wiatt
It’s 3 a.m.: Do you know where your car is?
(AP) — It’s 3 in the been a lot of larcenous
morning, and the red interest there lately in small
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme pickups — Fords, Toyotas
stands out like a traffic light and Nissans. New York
on the darkened Boston side crooks target Oldsmobile
street A thief breaks in, Cutlass Supremes, Buick
disables the ignition and Rivieras and Pontiac Trans
steering locks and spirits the Ams. Florida thieves favor
car away — in less than 20 Cadillac Eldorados, Mazda
seconds. RX-7s and Chevrolet
Olds Cutlass Supremes top Corvettes. In Houston,
the list of cars most likely to Cadillacs, Oldsmobjles and
be stolen in Massachusetts. full-size Chevrolet pickup
They’re in good company. trucks top the list of stolen
Across the country a car vehicles,
disappears twice a minute. You probably won’ t be
You can help find your car slapped with a higher
where you left it by insurance premium if your car
understanding how thieves is stolen and most insurance
work and discouraging them companies won’t drop you.
from singling out your car, But you will pay Indirectly;
either by slowing them down whenever thefts go up, the
or scaring them off. If your car entire area’s rates tend to go
is stolen, you can make it up.
easier to find In the Northeast, the fink
Almost a third of ail car between organzized crime
thefts occur in six big rings and the large number of
metropolitan areas: Boston, chop shops has meant high
Chicago, Detroit, Houston, comprehensive premiums.
Los Angeles and New York With a $200 deductible, the
City. theft insurance alone on a
But it isn’tjust where you brand new Mercedes 300 ID
live that Increases your car’s sedan can run $1,558 a year
risk of being stolen; it’s what in New York City and $943 in
you drive. Toyota Celicas and Boston. State Farm estimates
Supras, Volkswagen Beetles that almost 40 percent of
and Chevrolet Camaros are every car insurance premium
popular with thieves in goes to cover theft.
CaMomia. And there has In some areas, a good anfi-
theft device qualifies you for a
discount on your
comprehensive coverage.
The cost of insuring that
Mercedes drops $189 with an
alarm in Boston and $156 in
New York City—enough to
cover nearly half the cost of
many anti-theft systems.
In the past two years,
police have recovered
roughly six out of 10 cars
reported stolen, many of
them stripped hulks. More
successful recovery is
expected due to a 1984
federal law requiring a vehicle
identification number to be
stamped on 14 key parts (12
parts on two-doors) of
frequently stolen cars. More
than 80 models, including the
Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet
Camaro, Buick Riviera,
Cadillac EMorado and
Oldsmobile Toronado, now
arrive at the dealer with the
VIN stamped on the
transmission, engine, doors
and bumpers.
Marking a vehicle is one of
the best and cheapest ways tc
discourage a thieving interest
in the parts. Etching is done
with an acid-based
compound or by
sandblasting. Sand-etched
numbers, which are harder to
destroy than acid-etched
marks, cost as little as $40 for
the first four windows and $5
each additional window or
bumper and must be applied
by a pro. You can buy an
etching kit for as little as
$19.95 or have it done free
by some local AAA chapters
and police departments.
Electronic anti-theft
devices have also put a dent
in some types of thefts,
especially the threat from
amateur joyriders or petty
thieves who steal radios,
sunroofs, wheels and tires.
Some law enforcement
officials aren’t enthusiastic
about the cheap and easy-to-
installbars, which lock
around steering wheels, and
steering wheel collars, which
lock around the steering
column. Both are sold by the
thousands in hardware and
auto supply stores. Such
devices may discourage a
petty thief but not a
professional,
Mass-produced anti-theft
devices and original
equipment installed by the
car companies aren’t sure
bets, either. The more
common the alarm system,
the greater the risk it will be
recognized and disarmed by
thieves who know the
systems.
The police generally have
higher regard for the more
sophisticated anti-theft
devices, especially sensors
that trigger an alarm
whenever someone tries to
open the trunk or hood, and
“ignition kfil” mechanisms
that cut off the engine after it
is started. But effectiveness
varies all over the map,
depending on the type of car
and the alarm.
Seventeen models,
including the Chevrolet
Corvette, Toyota Supra,
Chrysler Conquest, Cadillac
AHante, Volvo 780 GLE and
some Mercedes-Benz cars,
now include some kind of
anti-theft system as standard
equipment. The Big Three
automakers, Mercedes-Benz,
Mazda and Porsche also sell
optional systems on 27
models.
A Department of
Transportation study
reported that the Nissan
30GZX system, which sets off
an alarm if someone tries to
open any part of the car, has
cut thefts in half. Mercedes-
Benz alarms, which protect
only the trunk and passenger
compartments, have pushed
down theft rates by 25
percent