License plate thefts on the rise on campus

A recent spree of license plate theft has occurred on the University of Richmond campus, with seven plates reported stolen since Jan. 18.

"I can see how it's funny in theory," said Heather Roush, one victim of the thefts, "but I would never act on it. It's so incredibly inconsiderate."

Captain Beth Simonds of the University Police Department said plates from Alabama, California, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota and New York had been stolen, and that one more as yet unidentified plate had been reported missing the morning of Jan. 27. She said there seemed to be no pattern in which parking lots or types of vehicles had been targeted.

"It's not uncommon to have people tamper with each other's cars," Simonds said, "but we've never had this many missing license plates."

Although no damage to the vehicles has been reported, the students whose plates were stolen are unable to drive their cars until replacement plates arrive. This often involves contacting the respective state's Department of Motor Vehicles, filing a police report and waiting for new plates to arrive in the mail.

"Not being able to drive threw a huge wrench in my day," Roush said. "I'm on the track team and I have practice at 7:30 a.m. and I usually drive four other people there, so it was hard to coordinate rides."

Another student, whose license plate was stolen said the thief even left the frame and screws under the car.

"It's clear that they were only after the plates," said Jennifer Huffman, another victim, "because I had left my passenger side window halfway down, and someone could easily have reached in and taken my GPS, but they just went for the plates."

Contact staff writer Maria Ribas at maria.ribas@richmond.edu