New Mexico State University police said that car burglaries happen fairly often on campus and they are pushing to install cameras to bring the number down.

"Auto burglaries on campus happen pretty regularly," Lt. Garrett Ferreiro said.

Ferreiro said that there were eight car thefts reported on campus within the last week alone. Four of the thefts included a stolen catalytic converter.

"I know people that have had iPods taken, cell phones, purses, even pistols taken from their vehicles," NMSU student Cooper Dewitt said. "It's a tragedy at this point."

The break-ins usually happen during the daytime, when classes are in session and the cars are parked on campus. Both students and faculty members have been targeted.

"There's no pattern," Ferreiro said. "Sometimes we won't have any during a specific week and then we might have a small rash of them."

Ferreiro said that the campus currently does not have any cameras in the parking lots, but NMSU police have requested cameras. They are currently awaiting approval from the university.

Ferreiro said that students and faculty members should lock their car doors and avoid leaving any valuables in plain sight inside the vehicle.