Between 11 pm and 6 am on the first day of the Spring 2015 semester, someone/some people stole my white 1997 Honda Civic in Garage E on the second floor. They drove it to the top floor and stole my car audio, engine parts, and destroyed my interior trying to take my stereo. The Honda dealer informed the insurance company that this will cost $1800 to fix as well as a couple of days without my car. 

UCFPD did an exceptional job in writing the report and gathering evidence, however, after viewing the "Crime Activity Log" found on http://police.ucf.edu, I, as well as many other UCF students, feel we are being taken advantage of as students by criminals. 

When we choose to attend UCF, we obviously pay a fee to park our vehicles in the garages and/or parking lots at UCF. In order to park in the covered parking of Garage E, it costs $150 for three semesters. When I paid $150, I was not expecting gold-plated pillars or anything special, however, I was expecting a reasonable level of safety. 

As I would constantly go to my car during the Fall 2014 semester, I noticed a disturbing trend. Whether I parked on any of the levels, I only noticed one security camera in the entire garage that only aimed at the entrance/exit. At that time, I feared for anything tragic to happen, as there would be absolutely no video evidence. My fears were not calmed throughout the rest of the semester, as I can clearly remember seeing Parking Services handing out tickets in the garage twice as often as I saw any sort of security presence in the area. 

As I shared my concerns/story on a UCF Facebook page, I was bombarded with student support, as well as other peoples' stories of their own disasters. For example, one student stated that her car was hit in the Hercules parking lot, and without the proper surveillance, the amount of help the police could give her was very little. I'm confident in the fact that many, if not all, UCF students would stand by and support my advocacy.

I'm not asking for a police car on every level, rather, I'm asking for an investment into student safety and peace of mind. Cameras on every parking level and cameras in student parking lots would go a long way in deterring/solving any future crime. Please feel free to contact me to schedule a meeting or simply talk about this matter at ryanmckinney@knights.ucf.edu

Sincerely, 

Ryan McKinney