Crime rate and car burglaries rise in West Austin communities
APD addresses car burglaries
Austin police are addressing the rising number of car burglaries and the crime rate near UT Austin and West Austin communities.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police are addressing the rising number of car burglaries and the crime rate near UT Austin and West Austin communities.
Car burglaries near UT Austin's campus
9 arrested in car burglary sting
Nine people have been arrested and charged in connection with multiple vehicle burglaries at Austin-area parks.
What they're saying:
"We are thankful that APD creates these Community Connects so we can express our concerns, and then they can share with us the factual data of what is going on in the community," says Safe Horns President Joell McNew.
"We're going to talk about burglaries in the parks. That's a big priority in west Austin," says Austin police officer Craig Smith.
Austin police say West Austin does not have a high rate of violent crimes, but property crime is a different story.
"The number one crime is property crime, which makes up over 20% of our crime," says Officer Smith.
APD make arrests in connection to car burglaries
Austin police have caught almost a dozen women accused of breaking into cars at parks in Austin for years
Car burglaries, at the top of the list, are known to take place at local stores, parks and on the UT Austin campus.
APD says they partner with UTPD officers to prevent break-ins on the school campus.
"It is a big problem, so even though we have a lot of students, a lot of density and student multi-housing, it is very common to have their cars broken into many times if the gate isn't fixed right away. Even though it's secured property, there are times when their gates aren't functioning, and students will report to us that multiple cars are hit, and their cars are broken into," says McNew.
The community connect event held at Safe Horns provided tips on how to avoid becoming a target.
"If you don't present yourself as a victim, if you lock your doors, don't leave valuables inside your car, then you're highly unlikely to be a victim of a vehicle burglary," says Officer Smith.
Why you should care:
The meet-up also allowed officers to build a relationship with the public.
"This is just a forum where they can come speak to the commander in their area where they get to know me, get to know my team, and they get to understand what we're doing to work for them, to make sure that West Austin continues to be a very safe area," says Officer Smith.
There will be another Community Connect event held Thursdayc, March 27, for those in Southwest Austin from 6-8 p.m. at Windsor South Lamar apartments.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford