Unlocked cars and cars with open windows in Ohio University parking lots are prey for anyone looking to grab a parking permit off rearview mirrors.
Permit theft is not a big problem but it is definitely an issue
said Sherry Barnes, director of transportation and parking for OU.
Stolen parking permits create problems for both students and law enforcement.
Barnes said many fraudulent passes are found because people who steal or let others borrow their permits usually park in the wrong parking lot. At that point, transportation services can ticket for parking in the wrong lot and, if necessary, can match license plate numbers with the permit number and also ticket for stolen passes, she said.
When faculty, staff and students register to obtain a parking pass, they must register all vehicles that would be used for that pass, along with the license numbers of those vehicles, Barnes said.
The punishment for stolen permits is a $100 fine, a loss of parking privileges for two quarters and a referral to judiciaries, she said.
Sharing of permits also could result in a $100 fine, according to OU's parking services Web site. If false information is used to obtain a permit, the individual might be referred to judiciaries as well ticketed and/or towed.
Although parking service's employees patrol OU parking lots most of the time, they cannot always look for stolen permits because of the number of parking spaces on campus, approximately 7,000 spaces, is too great.
Parking services sells 4,300 commuter parking permits and 1,100 overnight parking permits, Barnes said.
OU Police Department officers patrol the lots during their nightshifts, on the weekends and when parking services asks OUPD for help, Barnes said.
While permit thefts are reported more often than they are found, two major deterrents to permit theft are locked cars and closed windows, said Josh Durst, investigator with OUPD. Many soft-top vehicles also are easily accessible and therefore at a higher risk of permit theft.
In addition, spring is prone to more permit theft than the rest of the year because more people are outdoors in warm weather, said Lt. Rich Russell of OUPD.
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