Shattered windows, mangled mirrors, scratches and dents are all examples of vehicular damage that students may have to deal with in the parking lots near the residence halls.

“There is a car in the Lincoln parking lot with its tires slashed and the headlights are broken out,” said Paige Coutts, freshman public health major. “I worry about going out there and finding my car like that.”

It’s a problem that NIU has dealt with for years and one that isn’t easily solved with the amount of vehicles the University Police has to patrol.

Lt. Todd Henert of the University Police said students have reported two broken windows, five scratches, three damaged mirrors and one dent since the beginning of 2009.

Those numbers are nearly identical to the same time period a year ago.

“We’ve had one car where all the tires were slashed, the car was keyed and the windows were broken,” Henert said. “It was pretty apparent that the vehicle was specifically targeted.”

Henert acknowledges the difficulty of tracking down perpetrators but is confident that damage to targeted vehicles is resolved fairly regularly.

The University Police patrol the lots regularly along with officers assigned to the residence halls and the Huskie Student Patrol.

Regular patrols deter some occurrences, but there are other steps that students can take to protect their vehicles.

“Students should check on their vehicles on a regular basis,” Henert said. “If you don’t check for a week it becomes difficult for us to establish a time of reference for the incident.”

In addition to regularly checking on vehicles Henert suggests to park in well-lit lots and either put valuables in the trunk or store them inside the residence halls.

Freshman business major Ross VanderPloeg parks his car at the Convocation Center. “There usually aren’t many cars out there,” VanderPloeg said. “I check on it every couple of days.”

Students caught causing damage to vehicles will usually face a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the amount of damage.

“A misdemeanor usually carries up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine,” Henert said. “Students also often face disciplinary action from the university judiciary.”