Campus police officers at the University of Minnesota are prepping for an increase in campus thefts and alcohol-related crimes as the temperatures continue to rise.
Officers said as students spend more time outside, so too do criminals. Instead of committing crimes like thefts from buildings, criminals switch gears when the weather warms. Here are some of the crimes that increase as the temperatures rise:
- Bike thefts
- Open alcohol container and public consumption
- Thefts from automobiles
- Disorderly conduct
In an effort to catch problematic bike thieves, campus police will once again rely on a “bait bike” program. This will be the fifth consecutive year the department will use bait bicycles equipped with GPS tracking devices to notify police of the location of the bike once it’s taken from its original location.
Festival Prep
Additionally, the warmer months mean Minnesota will soon be host to a wide range of festivals and events. Police say these situations can be hubs for criminal activity, because revelers let their guard down. City crime prevention specialist Nick Juarez said individuals who leave their cars parked at festivals or in parking garages for an extended period of time should ensure they don’t leave their valuable items in plain site.
“We see that all the time just because the people in the neighborhood … just aren’t aware of their surroundings, so they leave their laptop or bag or purse in the front seat or on the floor,” he said.
Jaurez added that authorities are prepping extra security measures for the Spring Jam campus music festival, which takes place in on April 17. He noted that officers would patrol the event and the surrounding neighborhoods throughout the festival.
Thankfully, it appears that officers won’t have to deal with a riot after this year’s Frozen Four hockey tournament. A riot broke out in DInkytown last April after the favored Gophers lost to Union College in the championship. Despite returning to the tournament as a #1 seed, the Gophers fell to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the first round, and none of the four Minnesota-based teams advanced to the Frozen Four. Juarez said he doesn’t believe any riots will take place this year, but officers still expect that they’ll field a few calls regarding alcohol-related incidents this coming weekend, when the NCAA Hockey tournament concludes.
Related source: MN Daily
