Crime in Sacramento State parking lot is on the upswing, according to statistics obtained from RAND California, a statistical database.

Theft of items from an automobile is the most common crime, but auto theft is also a problem.

This semester three vehicles have been stolen from university lots, while 11 cars have been broken into and property taken, including three laptop computers.

In one case, the victim said she didn?t lock the car?s doors, but her laptop was taken from the trunk, according the police log.

“Lock your doors, put valuable items out of sight or in the trunk, and use an alarm system,” said University Police Investigator John Hamrick.

The overflow lots are the hardest hit police said they have stepped up foot, bike, and vehicle patrols in the area.

If students have a gut feeling about a suspicious person, they should call the university police, and the response time is often only a few minutes, Hamrick said.

“The campus community is the eyes and ears that assist us, and when something is reported, it can usually be stopped,” Hamrick said.

Most of the crime is committed by people from outside the campus and rarely are students involved, Hamrick said.

The University Police Department can be reached at 278-6851 or in an emergency by dialing 911. There are also emergency phones placed in various locations on campus and in the parking lots.

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