Itzie Pulido

An average of six vehicle thefts a week occurred in San Marcos since Jan. 1. To combat the issue, city council approved a grant application for $177,401 to combat the rise of vehicle thefts in the city on Aug. 20.

According to an email the city sent to The Star, there have been 199 auto thefts since Jan. 1. Kia and Hyundai vehicles, companies that faced a class action lawsuit over their failure to install engine immobilizers, are the most frequently stolen

“The number of vehicle thefts [SMPD] are investigating is trending upward, with an average of approximately six occurring each week and nearly 200 for the year,” the city of San Marcos wrote in an email to The Star.

According to the San Marcos Police Department (SMPD), the grant funding will be used to hire one full-time investigator and purchase nine license plate reading (LPR) cameras.

“The unit will initially be staffed with one full-time Officer-Detective dedicated to auto crime investigations, such as vehicle or catalytic converter thefts,” SMPD wrote in an email to The Star. “The officer will also establish a taskforce to work with/liaison with other established task forces throughout the state.”

SMPD currently owns 14 LPR cameras. These LPRs will only be used for investigations, not for parking enforcement.

The city said the majority of thefts in city limits occurred overnight.

“Most of the [stolen] vehicles are leaving the San Marcos area with a portion of them being taken out of the country and into Mexico,” SMPD wrote in an email.

Kylie Hedge, a biochemistry senior, said she had her catalytic converter stolen at the Cheatham Street Flats in March 2023. She said having a full-time auto theft investigator would have helped her then.

“I definitely think it would have been better. The cops seemed too busy, so it didn’t seem like a priority,” Hedge said.

While the city has seen a sharp rise in vehicle thefts, University Police Department (UPD) Chief Matthew Carmichael said there has not been a rise on Texas State’s campus. According to the 2023 Clery Act Report, there were 10 vehicle thefts on campus in 2022. Carmichael said there were nine in 2023, but the 2023 number was not fully audited.

“We have probably 9,000 cars parking here on a daily basis nine months of the year. From a statistics perspective we are faring fairly well,” Carmichael said.

Carmichael attributed the lower numbers on campus to several factors including well-lit parking lots and structures, heavy foot traffic, the campus emergency phones, security cameras and regular patrols by UPD.

Carmichael said he understands how tough having your vehicle stolen can be because he experienced a vehicle theft when he was younger.

“It’s a horrible feeling, especially if you have the bare minimum insurance, that’s all I could afford, so I lost everything,” Carmichael said. “Losing your car could be life changing.”

Hedge said when someone stole her car’s catalytic converter she had to tow her car hours away to her hometown because she could not afford to get it replaced in San Marcos.

“It was right before spring break and local repairs shops said it would be like $3,000,” Hedge said.

To avoid experiencing a car theft, SMPD recommends locking your car, not leaving valuables inside, parking in well-lit areas, enabling anti-theft devices, such as steering wheel locks and car alarms, as well as installing a third party tracking software.