Thirteen vehicles parked in the Winchester Lot were broken into. Of those vehicles, 12 were left unlocked, and one was accessed via the perpetrator breaking a car window.
The Nov. 12 break-ins involved three vehicles. While two of them were left unlocked, the other was forcefully entered by a suspect who smashed one of the windows using a rock. This resulted in immediate involvement from the Keene Police Department (KPD), who arrived at the scene with Keene State Campus Safety. After the incidents occurred at various times, Campus Safety officers were instructed to check the Winchester Lot frequently.
Additionally, it was determined that 10 more vehicles were broken into on Nov. 13. All of the vehicles in this incident were left unlocked when the crimes took place.
A campus safety officer was able to see the break-ins happening as they occurred by checking the Campus Safety office’s CCTV and noticing a suspect going up to various vehicles and checking the windows and doors. Shortly after, campus safety and KPD arrived on the scene.
According to Director of Campus Safety and Compliance Chris Buckley, there was a collaborative effort from both campus safety and KPD to identify suspects for the events. This was done through reviewing CCTV footage, figuring out the time-stamps of when the suspects arrived and left the scenes and concluding how the perpetrators had access to the vehicles and individuals’ belongings.
Buckley said while this process is time-consuming, it often yields beneficial results. Even though suspects for the incidents were identified, and the incidents themselves were unrelated, they will both remain active on account of more students reaching out to report similar issues.
Several students have expressed concern to campus safety about their own vehicles possibly being broken into. Buckley said the students were contacted but campus safety had not yet received responses.
On Friday, Nov. 14, a timely warning email was sent out to KSC students, faculty and staff regarding the break-ins. The email shared information about the incidents as well as preventative measures to help people avoid a similar situation.
Buckley strongly encourages students to lock their vehicles, and said that doing so may have prevented 12 of the 13 break-ins. Other measures include not leaving one’s belongings, such as cell phones, wallets or cash visible, keeping the windows closed and avoiding storing valuables in the center console or glove compartment.
Junior Caitlyn Baga-Greene said that she agrees with Buckley’s recommendations and that she often does similar things to ensure her belongings are safe.
Baga-Greene said, “My mom used to live in [California], and always tells me not to leave valuable stuff in my car, because that’s how smash and grabs happen. I feel like you could keep a blanket in your car and cover your stuff with it, but at the same time, why are you breaking into my car for like $5 and maybe an AirPod case or something?”
At the time of the break-ins on Nov. 13, there were multiple students in the Winchester Lot. Despite this, campus safety received no calls of concern, and it was only after the officer checked the CCTV cameras that they became aware of what was going on.
In response to this, Buckley said, “If you see something, say something. If you see someone looking in car windows or going from one vehicle to another, call us. We’ll help.”
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