Car thieves kept the Department of Public Safety busy this Thanksgiving holiday with several car vandalism occurrences and two car thefts.
On Sunday, officers from the Department of Public Safety and the Memphis Police Department caught two male suspects vandalizing a red Chevy Blazer.
According to a public safety report, David L. Malone and Richard L. Becton were caught smashing the driver- side window of the vehicle and were caught removing items from the vehicle into another vehicle.
A MPD officer was sitting on the Central lot when an unknown subject advised him that someone was breaking into an vehicle. According to police services, the officer advised Central precinct's dispatcher he was about to look into the matter and requested assistance.
Bruce Harber, associate director of police services, said any time a criminal is caught it helps make an impact on crime.
"We can't let our guard down because they're are others out there doing the same thing," Harber said. "We have caught about eight suspects this semester."
He said the MPD officers try to help out when they are in the area. The MPD occasionally stops in the parking lots to write out reports, Harber said.
According to Harber, car thieves are targeting a variety of vehicle models.
He said the Southern parking lot has a few more vehicle thefts than the Central parking lot.
"We realized that and tried to increase surveillance at the Southern lot, but without neglecting the other two," Harber said.
Another student was not as lucky.
Freshmen, mathematics major, Jacob Marler's 1992 Green Jeep Cherokee was stolen from the Norriswood West lot on Saturday and found over the weekend.
"I was pretty pissed off," Marler said about discovering his vehicle was missing. "They didn't steal anything."
Marler said his vehicle was found on Buntyn Street. He said the damage to his vehicle included a broken steering column, a broken window, and several scratches on the hood.
"Cameras in the [parking] lots would definitely be helpful," Marler said.
Marler's car was one of two car thefts over the holiday break. Both vehicles were recovered this weekend, according to Harber.
Lawrence Walker, leadership education graduate student, found several items missing from his vehicle on Tuesday.
Some of the items stolen from Walker's vehicle included a cell phone, a CD player, a black leather briefcase, some books and a wallet. He said the driver side window was broken.
"The briefcase was the most important," Walker said. "It contained research papers and other things that cannot be replaced."
Walker said there is not enough lighting on parking lots.
"I think there needs to be more lighting where the towers are located," Walker said.
He said his advice to others is to lock all items in the trunk and to park where it is well-lit.
"I was fortunate because they didn't try to steal it," Walker said.
Carol Gryde, a doctoral student, had made it home before she noticed her vehicle was vandalized.
"The car lock was lose and fell out the next day," Gryde said. She reported missing a small wallet that contained two credit cards and a voter registration card.
Gryde said, "pay really close attention to what you are doing and know what is in your vehicle."
In another instance, police services responded Sunday to a missing items from a Honda Civic. The victim reported the front passenger window broken and the radio stolen.
Officials at public safety advise drivers to lock their doors, use a theft prevention device and remove any valuables form view.
