MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A University of Memphis student shared her frustration about becoming a victim of a car break-in on campus not once, but twice.
Alantae Waller, a junior at the university, received a dreaded voicemail no student wants to get from university police twice this semester, saying her car may have been broken into.
According to a report, her Kia Forte was first broken into on August 31. She said theft protection was installed in her car after a recall was announced, so luckily, the car was not stolen, although it was severely damaged.
“So, I got there and looked in the driver’s seat and saw the steering wheel column on the ground,” she said.
The first incident caused nearly $1,000 worth of damage. Waller explained she just got her car back two weeks ago, and it was broken into again on Sunday.
“I could hear it in their voice on the voicemail that they were not surprised by this anymore, and I wasn’t either at the time. I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, it happened again,’” Waller said.
She said being a student is hard enough, but now she’s wondering whether her car is safe on campus.
“I understand that this happens everywhere. But I feel as though, I pay to park,” she said. “Which means I pay to feel as though my car is being watched and secure and everything else. So for it to happen twice…”
Dominique Floyd, Waller’s mother, is also frustrated and says something needs to be done. She said they had to make a lot of adjustments to pay for the previous break-in, and now they don’t know how to move forward.
“It seems like we can’t win for losing there and we are getting no help at all,” said Floyd.
Waller is calling on university leaders to make changes to security.
“So, I wish there would be some things put in place where maybe they have more police on campus or do a thorough search and not just sit in the lot. You don’t know if they are paying attention or not,” she said.
In August, the university announced $5 million in safety enhancements around campus, including increasing patrol vehicles and 24/7 monitoring. Waller wonders whether that’s actually happening.
“For me to ask, were there any police around at the time and for them to be honest and tell me, ‘No.’ I do feel some way about that,” she said.
Waller said she feels like she is being targeted and watched since she does have a Kia, but says her car should be safe on campus.
We reached out to university police and found a report that shows multiple cars were broken into on Sunday, October 22, one was even stolen.
As for Waller’s car, the report shows university police dusted for prints but were not able to find any.
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