Last year, several cars in the Campus View main parking lot were broken into ( I counted six, plus my vehicle and my roommate’s vehicle.) We filed a police report, but nothing ever came of it. We contacted Campus View and asked them if there were cameras anywhere, and there weren’t - and despite us asking, no cameras were ever installed. 

This past week, there has been a slew of vehicle break-ins, theft, and property damage, in the off-campus housing complexes surrounding the Allendale campus of GVSU. Tenants have had cash, personal items, and car parts stolen from their vehicles, as well as have had their windows smashed, tires slashed, or have had their cars keyed. One tenant even reported walking home at night with her friend when a car started throwing eggs at them and kept following them until they made it back home. The crime in this area is not exclusive to one property - I have personally heard from tenants from nearly every complex (Locale, Canvas, Conifer Creek, 48, Meadows, etc.) that we have all dealt with the same cycle of events: Break-in/property damage occurs, the leasing office is contacted, the office says there’s nothing they can do and advises to file a police report, and nothing else happens. 

The only change that has occurred is that Campus View has decided to enforce parking 24/7 instead of Monday-Friday, a change that will make absolutely no difference in the level of crime and will just end up in more people having to pay fines when tenants forget to print them a guest pass. They, along with a few other complexes, also sent out an email telling us to not leave valuables in our cars - which isn’t particularly helpful when catalytic converters are being stolen. 

In all of the complexes I have visited, they have cameras installed where it matters to THEM, like watching over hot tubs, pools, and the leasing offices, but nowhere watching over their tenants' property. With rent going up every year, there is no excuse to not install cameras in the parking lots to ensure that tenants feel safe living in these complexes, and to help catch criminals when these events do occur. We pay way too much in rent for housing where crime freely occurs with no safety or preventative measures in place. This is a college town, where we have had several student deaths, sexual violence, and other serious safety concerns, especially over the last few years. Now, with the sudden spike in theft and property damage on top of the already existing safety concerns, we are incredibly worried about our property and our well-being. Installing security cameras is the least that these complexes can do to make us feel comfortable living here. We are not going to continue sitting around and allowing this to happen to our property while our complex management sits by and does nothing.