Series of car break-ins leave community members concerned

After a string of car break-ins in the Keaney parking lot, there’s rising concern among community members.  PHOTO CREDIT: Siobhan Richards

An increase in thefts from vehicles located in student parking lots has shaken the University of Rhode Island’s on-campus community, leading to intervention by URI’s Department of Public Safety.

On Oct. 13, URI Communications sent out an email alerting students, faculty and staff to lock their vehicles and take their valuables out of their cars after a number of cars in the Keaney parking lot were broken into.

The notification said that multiple vehicles were damaged and rummaged through, with purses, cell phones and other belongings being stolen. 

Sophomore Bella Maindon was contacted by the Department of Public Safety when campus police noticed her rear car window had been tampered with.

“I walked down to Keaney once they called me, and when I got there, lots of police were looking at my car and my window was completely smashed,” she said.

The thief allegedly stole Maindon’s Michael Kors purse, which was empty at the time, from the backseat of her car.

Maindon said that officers at the scene provided little relief as she searched for answers.

“They did nothing,” she said. “They basically told me to get my window fixed and said they were sorry. I filled out a case report and just waited.”

According to Maindon, URI’s Department of Public Safety advised her to tape a plastic bag over her car window to remedy the damage. Instead, Maindon’s family traveled from Connecticut to pick up her vehicle for her. 

Although cameras are located in the Keaney parking lot, Maindon said that her vehicle was out of range.

“They told me there wasn’t a camera near my car and said there is not really any way that they could know who it was,” she said.

Maindon said she felt “on her own” after the experience, claiming that officers offered limited solutions to find the perpetrator.

She said that the Department of Public Safety should increase police presence in parking lots to combat these crimes.

“Maybe someone should be patrolling the area,” she said. “If there were actual police, people wouldn’t be breaking into other people’s cars.”

Other students, including a friend of Maindon’s, noticed that their unlocked cars had been scoured through or stolen from in the same area.

URI Police Chief Michael Jagoda said that campus officials are working to resolve these issues, beginning with accountability for the thief.

“Our ultimate goal is to catch those people who are responsible so the victims can get restitution,” Jagoda said.

According to Jagoda, an active investigation is in place for these crimes. He also said that an increase in police presence has been implemented in student parking lots.

He said that cameras can be helpful in these types of investigations, however, the footage does not capture the entire parking lot.

“[Cameras] are not always effective depending on the hour, angle or the location,” he said. “We are going to review those cameras, and I know our detectives are working with officers to try to determine exactly who could be responsible.”

Other currently unidentified physical evidence has been recovered from the scenes as well, and campus police are exploring all options of whose to blame for these crimes.

The Department of Public Safety encouraged students to reach out if they see any suspicious behaviors in the student parking lots. Jagoda said that these crimes should not define URI’s campus culture.

“We are recognized as a university that has high values, and I would just say that everyone should be respectful of our community members,” he said. “If you see something, say something.”