Vandalism wave hits local parked cars

By Stewart Warren

Burglars hit at least 12 cars parked on the NIU campus and 13 parked elsewhere in the city during the latest weekend wave of vandalism.

Cars parked in the remote, gravel NIU lots located near Annie Glidden Road often are targeted by vandals, and this weekend was not an exception. Four of the 13 cars were parked in lot X, north of married student housing, police said.

Many of the cars had smashed windows, and radar detectors, hubcaps and cassette tapes were stolen, police said.

NIU students who park their cars on campus should always lock them and should report anything suspicious in the lots, said University Police Sgt. Kathy Guimond.

“We need the public’s cooperation. They should call and tell us if they see people going from car to car, or cars driving slowly through the lots passing up empty parking spaces,” Guimond said.

Students should give the police descriptions of any suspicious cars or people they see in NIU parking lots, Guimond said.

Twelve of the cars burglarized off campus were parked in the Greek Row area on Hillcrest Drive, Annie Glidden Road, Crane Drive and Edgebrook Drive, police said. Nine of the 13 cars had smashed windows, and damages ranged from $150 to $410, police said.

Although police have no suspects, the rash of break-ins was not unusual and one person or a group could be responsible for all of the incidents, said DeKalb Police Lt. Chuck Kross.

“Somebody just went out on a tear,” Kross said.