MHCC SEES A RISE IN CAR THEFT ON CAMPUS

As temperatures drop, car thefts on the MHCC campus are on the rise.

The Gresham campus is no stranger to car thefts, but as the weather gets colder more thefts are likely to happen. And there were six vehicles stolen from Mt. Hood lots in October, said Wayne Feagle, manager of Public Safety.

“We believe they (thieves) have some kind of masterkey” that allows easy access to popular car models, Feagle said. 

There is a selection of cars thieves look out for, so it’s good to know if your car might be targeted. 

Late 1990s and early 2000s cars are a large portion of the cars stolen, with many Honda models at risk, including CRX, CRV, Civic, Accord, and Del Sol models. Subarus are a large target, as well, with many Outbacks being taken off campus. A Jeep Cherokee was stolen on campus this year, too.

CAMPUS A ‘HOT ZONE’

Why are so many cars being taken? It seems that most thieves aren’t doing this for profit, but for a free ride.

Six out of 13 on-campus car thefts this calendar year happened in October and, unfortunately, this is normal for this time of year in the Gresham area: Data collected by the city of Gresham shows most data maps put MHCC as a hot zone for car thefts. 

Public Safety officers do have the authority to arrest someone if they see a crime committed on campus, but there is a problem: It’s very hard to spot an actual theft in progress.

“You would never think they’re committing a crime,” Feagle says. With a masterkey, (thieves) can just walk up to a car and get into the vehicle without a fuss, causing no damage at all.

“We can’t just go up to everybody and ask if that is their car,” he said.

COSTLY LOSS

Basically, it’s become a huge issue of criminals being hidden in plain sight. Many thefts are caught on camera with the thieves coming up right to the school’s front spaces to steal vehicles.

That only adds to the frustration of victims such as medical student Ashley Porter, who had her car last stolen at MHCC last spring.

“It mostly just pissed me off,” she said. “We have security officers handing out tickets to students, while cars are being stolen.”

Her car had been parked right next to Building 17 in Lot H when it was stolen. She had left it alone for just 5 minutes before the thief took off it. This thief didn’t have a “masterkey,” but jimmied the lock to get in.

Porter was able to recover the car some days later, but it had been totaled by then. 

“For the longest time I was Uber-ing,” she said. Living in Vancouver, that meant $30 one-way to school. Having her car stolen came at a high cost for her, before eventually finding a friend for some rides and then getting another vehicle.

Very little was offered to her in terms of help, no persons of interest were ever identified, and her contact with police was very brief, Porter said. “If this is a common thing (in Gresham/at MHCC) that people’s cars get stolen, why aren’t there more cameras (on campus)?” she said. 

She questions why there isn’t more security: “I get that it’s a money thing… but we need to step up the game,” she said.

Even if your car doesn’t appear on the most-stolen list, it is still a good idea to not leave anything in your vehicle when you leave for classes, to help prevent break-ins.

Feagle says the best way to avoid your car being stolen outright is to immobilize it, somehow. There are the steering wheel “club” devices, easily found in stores, and he mentioned one student who is planning on putting a “kill switch” in their vehicle. 

Meantime, if you see someone breaking into a car, or your car has been stolen, you are encouraged to call 911 and then MHCC Public Safety, at 503-491-7911.

Advocate Staff