For the third time in a year, the UNC Police Department is investigating an uptick in electric scooter thefts around campus.
Campus law enforcement issued an Alert Carolina message on Friday warning students of “several” reported thefts of the vehicles, which have become a popular way for students to move around campus in recent years. While the message did not specify how many scooters were stolen, they said reports were made from Carmichael, Craige, Morrison and Joyner Residence Halls on campus — as well as Granville Towers South off West Franklin Street, which is also student housing. Additionally, police received reports of scooters taken from Phillips Hall and Graham Memorial Hall off East Cameron Avenue.
According to the UNC Police to Citizen Crime Log, which tracks reported crimes and 911 calls, there have been ten reports made of electric scooter theft, including three reports on September 22 from student housing.
Police said no additional information is being made available for now, as the investigation is ongoing. But Friday’s Alert Carolina said police are not ruling out the chance that the string of thefts is related.
The first incident of campus police warning of electric scooter thefts came in November 2022, with another shared in February. Each of those times, there were three reports of thefts shared within a week of each other.
UNC requires electric scooter-users on campus to park their motor vehicles in designated areas and to register them through the campus Transportation & Parking Department. Doing this, as well as using a U-lock or other security devices when storing a scooter, should help prevent thefts or aid recovery efforts in case they are lost according to the university.
Police said Thursday anyone with information potentially helpful to the ongoing investigation is encouraged to call the Criminal Investigations Division at 919-966-2120. If anyone notices “suspicious activity” around bike racks or the scooter parking areas, they are encouraged to call 911 immediately.
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