Thursday, October 22, 2009
Vol. 95, Issue 32
THE
DAILY
w w w. T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m
AZTEC
Tw i t t e r : T h e D a i l y A z t e c
San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913
I N S I D E T O D AY HEALTH & FITNESS
College Area theft increases
KNOW YOUR GIRLS Find out why women everywhere are getting to “know their girls.” page 3
SPORTS
RAM HUNTING SDSU heads to Fort Collins, Colo., to take on Colorado State in a Mountain West matchup. page 7
TEMPO
SNEAK PEEK Tech N9ne will be gettin’ strange downtown on Saturday at House of Blues. page 11
Lindsey Martin / Assistant Photo Editor
Reports of burglaries and thefts near Montezuma Road have increased since August. Police say this trend has been apparent for years, as students return to campus during the fall.
San Diego Police say thefts of electronics have been increasing S A R A H K O VA S H S E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R
CONTACT GENERAL INFORMATION 619.594.4199
EDITOR
IN CHIEF, FARYAR BORHANI 619.594.4190 EDITOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
CITY EDITOR, KEVIN MCCORMACK 619.594.7782 CITYEDITOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
FEATURES EDITOR, AMINATA DIA
It’s that time of year again — the leaves are falling, the temperature is decreasing and college-area burglaries are on the rise. The increase in burglaries with the new academic year is not unexpected, as a similar trend has been continuing for several years now, according to San Diego Police Lt. Chuck Kaye. “The college corridor area … I would call it very safe, as far as violent crime,” Kaye said. “But when it comes to property crimes, it’s one of the areas that cause a headache.” Residents near Montezuma Road and the surrounding areas, mainly SDSU students, have reported more burglaries since August than is typical for the area. The burglaries gener-
ally take place in the daytime and items stolen are almost entirely small electronics such as laptops, cell phones and cameras. These objects are desirable to intruders, as they can easily be carried out and traded for cash or drugs, Kaye said. According to Kaye and SDPD Community Relations Officer Dean Thomas, these burglaries are almost 100 percent preventable and are crimes of opportunity. All but a few of the recent burglaries happened as a result of unlocked doors and open windows, some while residents were home. “For whatever reason, the people that live there don’t lock their doors and I assume that’s because of the lifestyle that includes people coming over all the time,” Kaye said. “So they don’t bother locking the doors.” So far, the estimated value of property stolen in that area is more than $10,000. Generally, people living in the area around Montezuma Road report a few crimes per month, but from Aug. 1 to Oct. 5, there have been 22 burglaries.
Because the items generally stolen are electronics, Kaye and Thomas recommend writing down serial numbers for any electronics that could potentially be stolen. The recovery rate of a person’s electronics that don’t have recorded serial numbers is much lower than someone who does have them. The burglaries that have taken place recently are because of a few repeat offenders, rather than several different people, according to Kaye. The Mid City police have some evidence, but have so far been unsuccessful in finding the burglars. “Historically, we’ve done a pretty good job of identifying and apprehending the majority, or what we think are the people who have the majority of responsibility for these burglaries,” Kaye said. “At this point we have finger print evidence, we’ve got some DNA that’s been going through the lab, but we have not had a hit yet that tells us anything. So at this point in time, we’re a little frustrated.”
The map of burglarized areas shows that areas such as Talmadge, which has an active neighborhood watch program, have fewer burglaries than those without one. Thomas recommends looking out for suspicious behavior. The tendency is for burglaries to increase even more during Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. “Maybe as you’re walking to school kind of take a little more interest in the neighborhood and if you see something suspicious, you know, everybody’s got cell phones, so just give us a call,” Thomas said. The problem for police now is to figure out a way to stop the trend of increased burglaries at the beginning of each academic year. The high turnover rate of residents makes it hard to prevent the same area from being burglarized. “We’re good at catching people, we’re good at doing all that stuff,” Kaye said. “What we would like help with is figuring out some way to have an impact on this every year where we don’t have this issue.”
619.594.6976 FEATURE@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
SPORTS EDITOR, EDWARD LEWIS 619.594.7817 SPORTS@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
STATE
OF MIND EDITOR, ALLAN ACEVEDO 619.594.0509 OPINION@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
E3 gets ready to kick some gas
TEMPO EDITOR, ANYA MOBERLY 619.594.6968 TEMPO@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
ART DIRECTOR, ELENA BERRIDY 619.594.6979 ARTDIRECTOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
PHOTO EDITOR, GLENN CONNELLY 619.594.7279 PHOTO@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
WEB EDITOR, MYLENE ERPELO 619.594.3315 WEB@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
ADVERTISING 619.594.6977
INDEX HEALTH & FITNESS.......................................................3 SPORTS............................................................................5 TEMPO...........................................................................10 CLASSIFIEDS..................................................................14 THE BACK PAGE.........................................................16
E L I S E F OX S TA F F W R I T E R
San Diego State’s Enviro-Business Society will be raging at the West Coast’s largest eco-party this Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium. Produced by SDSU alumni, the MTS Kick Gas Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with help from the Enviro-Business Society known as e3. The event is organized to educate the public about renewable energy and to promote a sustainable lifestyle in a fun and interactive way, Leslie Doyé, e3 vice president of media relations, said.
“It’s really important for students to embrace this now,” Holly Hellerstedt, vice president of e3, said. “We are the future leaders.” Whether it’s buying organic foods, purchasing a low-flow showerhead or starting a compost pile, getting involved and spreading the word can make a difference, Hellerstedt said. The festival includes live performances from more than 20 bands and 10 disc jockeys, such as Matisyahu and special guests Matt and Kim. While some will learn how to live green, others can sit in the “adult beverage” garden drinking local brews, shop at the farmer’s market, race electric cars, check out the
skate ramp and street course, admire the Earth-List eco-fashion show or even learn how to eat healthy with a celebrity chef, according to the festival’s Web site ww.kickgasfestival.com. More than 7,500 people are expected to attend, an event producer and SDSU alumnae, Rae Gurne said. Tickets purchased online are $10 and $15 if purchased at the gate. Those attending are encouraged to take advantage of the free return trolley tickets or ride their bike. Saturday also signifies the International Day of Climate Action, according to Hellerstedt. E3 is also pairing up with 350.org, which promotes global warming awareness.
Gurne anticipates students to walk away knowing how to be energy efficient and how to find other sustainable technologies and businesses for use in their everyday lives. “I would hope through all of this, that people are making conscious choices when they purchase products,” Gurne said. E3 is a student-run organization on campus advocating ecology, ethics and economics, and encouraging students to make a positive, environmental change in the world. It is responsible for helping to organize the SDSU Farmer’s Market, five years in the making, which Doyé said she sees as its biggest accomplishment of the semester.