A series of recent attempted break-ins around the Texas Christian University campus has left students on high alert and has led to an increased police presence in the neighborhoods.
Fort Worth police confirmed to CBS News they are investigating two attempted break-ins over the weekend. Both incidents were captured on security camera footage. In the first video captured on Friday night, a man wearing a hoodie and glasses tries to open the door of a residence just blocks from the TCU campus, CBS reported.
Police said a second incident was reported around 4 a.m. Sunday morning. Video from that attempted break-in shows two men, one with a flashlight and the other who appears to be carrying a firearm, trying door handles at a residence that is also said to be just blocks from campus.
The suspect in the second video, who appears to be armed, is similar in appearance to the man captured in the first video. Students interviewed by CBS believe it to be the same individual.
TCU police urged students and area residents in a post on X to be vigilant as the investigation into the attempted break-ins continues.
TCUPD received a report about an attempted burglary of an off-campus residence. Two males entered a backyard in the 3100 block of Sandage and tried to open the back door at 4am. One of the males seemed to be holding a firearm. Call TCUPD if you recognize this person 817-257-7777 pic.twitter.com/o2egpq4tFt
— TCU Police Department (@TcuPolice) February 26, 2024
“TCUPD received a report about an attempted burglary of an off-campus residence,” the post reads. “Two males entered a backyard in the 3100 block of Sandage and tried to open the back door at 4 a.m. One of the males seemed to be holding a firearm. Call TCUPD if you recognize this person 817-257-7777.”
TCU police do not have jurisdiction in the off-campus neighborhoods but work closely with Fort Worth police to provide student safety.
Fort Worth Police Officer Tracy Carter hopes that someone in the area may know something about the attempted crimes.
“What we are asking is that if anyone was out there that particular evening, or has seen something, we say ‘say something,'” Carter said, per CBS. “A lot of people will bury their head in the sand, and they don’t want to report certain things, but because of Ring footage, we are able to get the footage and look into it.”
The TCU Police Department website shows three motor vehicle thefts were reported in February, along with two counts of criminal trespass on campus. A crime map tracker produced by SpotCrime shows that several thefts and criminal trespass reports were filed in the area around TCU in recent days, though the majority of crime reports were south of I-20.
TCU Police did not respond to requests for more information by The Dallas Express.
“The investigation is ongoing. Please understand that our detectives are reviewing footage and asking if the public has any information that they would like to share to help the investigation,” Officer Tracy Carter with the Fort Worth Police Department told The Dallas Express.
TCU Police did not respond to requests for more information.
In nearby Dallas, crime is a constant concern in many neighborhoods, particularly in the downtown area. Monthly reports by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association show that crime in Downtown Dallas consistently outpaces that in the Fort Worth city center, which is patrolled by dedicated police units and private security.
Dallas has been hampered in its crime-fighting efforts by a shortage of police officers over the last several years. Although a City analysis recommended a police force of 4,000 officers to adequately patrol the city, DPD currently fields only about 3.000. The police department budget this fiscal year is $654 million, well below the spending levels in other high-crime municipalities, such as Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles.
