The UNA crime logs suggest a series of connected vehicle break-ins occurred in recent weeks.

The four vehicle break-ins consist of three cars broken into at Appleby Residence Hall parking lot and one break-in at Grandview Apartments on Thursday, Sept 26th.

The recent break-ins could be connected due to the area surrounding the incidents, said UNA Police Chief Bob Pastula.

“I think that some of the break-ins could be connected, only because they occurred with close proximity of each other,” Pastula said.

Both the UNA and Florence Police Department have already begun to address the problem before it becomes a bigger issue.

“Florence police have already made one arrest for some of the burglaries, and we have caught another suspect who committed some of the UNA ones,” Pastula said. “The officers have been increasing patrols of the parking areas during the day.”

Stephanie Mullins, a sophomore, said she is just now hearing about the recent break-ins.

ing about the recent break-ins.

  “I did not even know about this,” Mullins said. “My RAs have not notified me. I feel safe parking there, I get nervous walking alone at night there, but I do the same everywhere at night.”

She believes that more students should have known about these recent incidents around campus in some way, Mullins said.

“I think the RAs should have let us know or there should’ve been a lion alert,” Mullins said. “There should be more lighting around there.”

Students and faculty should be aware of their safety when choosing a parking spot, Pastula said.

“Everyone on campus, or anywhere, should be locking their doors and placing items of value out of the view of the public eye,” Pastula said. “These thieves are opportunistic, and take advantage of unlocked doors and items being advertised by sitting out in the open.”

Keeping valuables hidden and out of sight can also prevent the chance of a break-in, Pastula said.

“Things like GPS’s and valuables should be locked in the center console or glove box of the vehicle,” said Pastula. “Larger items should be placed in the trunk of the car. If there are no other places to park, simply taking precautions, and calling the police if they see anything suspicious should limit exposure to criminal activity.”

One of the break-ins affected a friend and pledge brother, said freshman Jackson Townsend.

Since his friend’s break-in, Townsend has noticed an increase in patrol at night.

“There’s been a lot more patrol at night, especially in the Lafeyette parking lot,” he said.

Savien Payne, an entertainment industry major, said he was aware of the break-ins at Applebee and Grandview.

“Even though these buildings aren’t directly on campus, they are in the jurisdiction of the campus police,” Payne said. “It’ll be interesting to see how the police try to resolve the issue.”

Drew Treece said he feels that other university’s have stricter campus rules to enforce safety.

“I didn’t really notice how unsafe our campus can be until I visited other schools that have more strictly enforced rules and regulations concerning both students and guests on campus,” Treece, an entertainment industry major, said.