MUPD, CPD increase presence as students return to Columbia
Law enforcement agencies are watching for theft and alcohol violations.
Published Aug. 24, 2010
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MU Police Department officer Brian Frey and his partner search the area around Faurot Field for explosives before the football game against Furman on Sept. 19, 2009. MUPD held sobriety checkpoints this weekend, and officers said they will be more vigilant for cases of larceny.
To deal with the influx of students moving back to Columbia over the past week, local law enforcement agencies have deployed traffic officers and put beat officers on the lookout for thefts.
Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Jill Wieneke said the department would have officers out to police areas with heavy traffic.
"They'll be out in the school zones especially, and they'll be watching those areas that get congested when everyone goes back to college," she said.
MU also saw an increased police presence as the Department of Residential Life paid for additional officers and campus safety officers to monitor intersections and help with traffic flow, MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said.
CPD increased alcohol enforcement, and CPD, MUPD and the Boone County Sheriff's Department conducted sobriety checkpoints over the weekend, Wieneke said. CPD's downtown unit is fully staffed and will be part of the effort.
"They do alcohol compliance checks with bars and restaurants," Wieneke said. "We'll be watching for open container ordinance violations and fake IDs."
Wieneke also said the department usually sees a spike in thefts when students begin moving back to the area because people tend to leave personal property in their cars. She said the department advises people to unload or lock their cars.
"If it's something that's really attractive (to a thief), like a laptop, we recommend that you put it in the trunk because that's the safest place for items," Wieneke said.
Beat officers in sectors with high student populations are also aware of students moving back in and will be on the lookout for larcenies, Wieneke said.
MUPD tries to inform people of steps they can take to protect their personal items, Wiemer said.
"We can't physically be everywhere," Weimer said. "The important thing is to tell people and provide assistance if a crime does happen."
7:46 p.m., Aug. 25, 2010
Patrick Fallon said:
Besides just placing it in the trunk, make sure you put it in the trunk before you arrive at your destination. Many thefts will scope out people parking to put stuff in the trunk and it is easy enough to pop it and steal your gear.