Mt. Hood plagued by car theft just before Halloween

Mt. Hood Community College brought Halloween cheer in the form of car thefts and break-ins to some lucky car owners. One car was stolen, and has yet to be recovered. Two others were broken into through the windows.

The stolen vehicle was a 1996 Honda CRX that was parked in lot Y. It is yet to be recovered. Hondas are known nationally as being the most-targeted cars for thefts, especially Honda Civics and Honda Accords. Chevy Trucks and Toyota Cameras are also targeted.

As a preventative measure, Public Safety has increased both vehicle and foot patrols of the college’s Parking Lots. They also advise students to use “clubs”, an anti-theft device designed to put across the steering wheel to lock it in place, making it more difficult to steal a car, the MHCC Book Store sells ‘clubs’ for $19.99.

Parking lot V, next to the Aquatics center and Gymnasium, has a history of people leaving items in their car. One student left their car at 3:15 to exercise and returned at 3:40 to find their car broken into. Their Nissan Exterra had a broken window and was missing two bags full of sports equipment and school supplies.

Another student left their new Subaru in Lot X, and mistakenly left their wallet on the car seat. When the student left class, they came back to a broken window and a missing wallet. The most common things stolen from cars on campus are bags, purses, and wallets, but electronics are also targeted.

In the past, purses have been stolen from under seats or hiding places. It’s not to uncommon for people to leave their doors unlocked and getting items stolen or tampered with. Public Safety asks students to secure all items and take them with you, and to make sure all vehicles is locked.

Public Safety encourages those concerned to visit MHCC’s crime alerts at www.mhcc.edu/PublicSafety/CrimeAlerts/. For detailed crime logs reported by students and staff, visit www.mhcc.edu/PublicSafety/CrimeLog2016.pdf.