Campus police have seen a sharp rise in stolen cars recently, which came unexpectedly after a period of low auto theft.

Over the last 18 months, the San Diego State Police Department reduced auto theft by 75 percent.

Police may have to alter their previous initiative to curb auto theft, which had proved highly effective. One of the more successful initiatives was Operation Knee Drag, which aimed to catch and arrest motorcycle thieves in the area. As a result, only one motorcycle has been reportedly stolen in the past year.

The variety of cars being stolen is also out of the ordinary. During the past year, police have taken care to make owners of Civics and Accords aware theirs are the most frequently stolen cars on the planet. Seven of the 13 cars stolen from SDSU during the past year were Hondas.

Police have seen a rise in stolen trucks, Yukons and Suburbans, which they believe have been stolen for a specific purpose. Many of these SUVs have been recovered across the Mexican border and in very remote, desert areas, leading investigators to suspect these cars are being used to smuggle people across the border.

—Compiled by Senior Staff Writer Hutton Marshall