Car break-ins piling up in Midtown

By Mike Garrity

KSDK -- Some St. Louis University students, as well as long-time business owners in St. Louis' "Midtown" neighborhood, say they are concerned about and surprised by what appears to be a rash of recent vehicle thefts and vehicle break-ins there.

St. Louis Police say they have "beefed up security" in Midtown after an increase in the number of vehicle break-in's and auto thefts there "over the last four or five weeks".

St. Louis Police Captain Michael Caruso says three vehicles were stolen out of The Coronado Building's parking garage in the last seven days alone.

Caruso says another four vehicles were stolen in the area surrounding that building at Spring and Lindell. The Coronado is a building where many St. Louis University students live.

One week ago Thursday St. Louis Police say several cars were broken into while they were parked outside the popular college bar "Humphrey's" on Laclede Avenue, directly across the street from the St. Louis University campus.

In addition, investigators say numerous cars were broken into in a parking lot by the Fox Theatre two weeks ago.

Captain Caruso also confirms that a week ago Sunday, "Two or three cars were broken into, and one was stolen" inside a gated St. Louis University-owned parking lot off Compton, near the university's new Chaifetz Arena.

Caruso says St. Louis University has now increased manpower and security before during and after events at Chaifetz, and he says St. Louis police have as well, especially when events are being held in Midtown, whether they be at The Fox Theater, Powell Hall, or elsewhere in the neighborhood.

St. Louis Police say they have been "focusing in and reallocating resources".

For example Caruso says the department has dedicated a "foot beat" officer to the Midtown-Locust Business District.

He says that officer adjusts their schedule, working at different times of the day and night, walking through the neighborhood, and so far has already made several arrests.

Business owners and students NewsChannel 5 talked with say they are surprised, as they have typically feel safe parking in Midtown.

Police are looking for tips from the public, and say anyone who notices anything suspicious is urged to call 911.

Caruso says in many instances the suspects in these property crimes are juveniles.

That's something that police say can prove challenging for investigators, as the justice system does not allow police to hold underage suspects for long periods of time, unless they have a serious record, especially in property crime cases.

Caruso says in many cases, juvenile suspects will go out and steal a car, along with two or three others, and they'll go case an area where they know there is an event happening, like a play or sporting event, where there are droves of parked vehicles.

In many instances, Caruso says the suspects will grab items that are left out in plain sight inside vehicles.

Or in other cases, he says they'll use a screw driver to punch a hole underneath a vehicle door lock to disengage the device and pop it open.

Police say this type of crime is popular in general right now throughout the St. Louis region, whether it is in Clayton, Belleville, St. Louis, or Granite City. Caruso says this genre of crime has simply made its way into Midtown.

He says this type of crime can have serious consequences as some suspects will look to steal guns that are left in vehicles, as they are not allowed in many event venues.

Police are working to educate the public, reminding them not to leave any items out in plain sight inside vehicles, to make sure they lock vehicle doors, advising them not to park in dimly lit areas, and to invest in an alarm system, and/or a "club" type lock.

That type of lock can be purchased at any St. Louis Police station for $11.

Guards to protect license plates from being stolen are also available for $5 through the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Captain Caruso says GPS devices are the number one item being stolen from vehicles in the city at the moment. He says criminals tell police that they often will break into a vehicle where they think they'll find a GPS in the glove box if they see suction cup marks on a vehicle's window.

Police recommend drivers keep a rag in their vehicle to wipe the marks away when they take a device down to hide it.

As far as the official statistics, police say throughout the entire Midtown neighborhood, between October 1 and November 1, they've had 25 vehicle break-ins reported this year, that's 16 more than were reported during the same time period last year.

And so far since the start of 2009, police say there have been 214 vehicle break-ins reported in Midtown, 60 more than were reported in 2008.

St. Louis University Officials declined NewsChannel 5's request for an interview. But they say the number of vehicles broken into on St. Louis University-owned property from mid August through the end of October is down some 25 percent since last year.

"This is not a SLU issue, or even a Midtown issue. This is a city or a regional issue," said an SLU spokesman.

For some comparison at Washington University's Danforth Campus, a university spokesperson says there have been 16 vehicle break-ins reported between January 1 and September 30, 2009. During that same period of time in 2008, Washington University says there were five vehicle break-ins and an overall total of seven in all of 2008.

Meanwhile on the Washington University Medical Campus in St. Louis' Central West End, a university spokesperson says between January 1 and September 30, 2008 there were 11 vehicle break-ins, compared to 18 from January 1 through September 30, 2009.

As far as what types of vehicles are targeted the most by thieves, here's a link to an insurance industry sponsored non-profit group's most recent findings: https://www.nicb.org/cps/rde/xchg/nicb/hs.xsl/72.htm.