The University of New Mexico's latest annual campus safety report includes sizable increases in auto thefts and fondling cases.
University Police Chief Kevin McCabe says he's concerned by the increases and he says patrolling the campus and engaging with students, staff and faculty are top priorities for his department.
The university says the increase in auto thefts from 32 in 2014 to 88 in 2015 is based partly on a new federal requirement that attempted auto thefts be reported as thefts and to a general rise in auto thefts in Albuquerque and the state.
Reported fondling cases doubled from 7 in 2014 to 15 in 2015, which McCabe attributes to university efforts to encourage reporting of fondling incidents.
Federal law requires universities and colleges to report annually on campus crime.
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