Barton Creek Greenbelt visitors find, return stolen items, report increased crime

AUSTIN, Texas - Crime along the Barton Creek Greenbelt has increased according to frequent visitors.

"When you walk down the parking lot, there's broken glass at every parking site. It's obviously something that happens a lot," said David Kauffman.

Just like many others, Kauffman is a frequent visitor of the Barton Creek Greenbelt. "It's just a beautiful trail. It's well maintained," said Kauffman.

Last week, Kauffman said he and his family stumbled across a car with a shattered window, but that was not the most shocking discovery his family made that day.

"My kids way down further in the parking lot, they [said], ‘hey, there's some purses here’ and they found a whole bunch of bags in the woods just beyond the parking lot," he said.

They discovered several bags had been thrown in the nearby trail that were obviously stolen. "There were driver's licenses, there was a passport, a Mexican travel visa, obviously credit cards," said Kauffman.

Kauffman said he immediately called 911, but was transferred to 311 to submit a report.

"They said that they would file a request for evidence pickup and that it would take up to 24 hours for the police to contact me and then they would pick it up. That seemed like a long time," said Kauffman.

He decided to take matters into his own hands. While he waited for police to pick up the missing bags, Kauffman said he and his daughter started to do their own investigation and were able to contact a good number of owners of the lost items.

"We ended up returning things to five people and so, by the time the police picked it up, we still had like two or three bags and still had two driver's licenses," he said.

Kauffman said police picked up the remaining items five days after he reported it to 311.

He believes more surveillance should be applied to this popular hiking spot and that can be cameras or increased patrol. He would also like APD to implement some sort of lost and found system.

Until then, he has a few takeaways as an avid greenbelt visitor.

"The main thing is to hide your valuables or not have your valuables with you," said Kauffman.

The Austin Police Department released a statement to FOX 7 Austin:

APD works diligently to investigate all crimes that are reported to the police department. We advise residents and visitors to always take precautions and be aware of their surroundings to try and avoid becoming the victim of a crime.

Here are some tips for community members:
• Do not leave anything of value in your vehicle.
• Never leave or store firearms or ammunition in a vehicle
• Keep any bags or valuables out of sight before you arrive at your destination (remember, the BOV suspect is always watching)
• Park in well-lit and well-populated areas
• If you can, park in an area you know is monitored by cameras