An ISU student is missing a purse and a passenger-side window after her car was broken into Monday afternoon.

The burglary occurred “in broad daylight” in the Memorial Union parking ramp, said Joel Swanson, DPS patrol officer.

The car, belonging to Carri Bergman, senior in music, had its passenger window shattered. Swanson said no other cars were broken into.

Bergman said she had two purses sitting in the front seat when she parked in the ramp at about 11:30 a.m. She returned at about 3 p.m. to find the smaller of the purses missing, she said.

“They got away with just my checkbook,” Bergman said. “They left my other purse with my credit cards in it. My cell phone was sitting there too, and they didn’t take it.”

Swanson said vehicle break-ins aren’t uncommon on the ISU campus, but the location was “not a good place for a car burglary.”

“Most burglaries take place in deserted parking lots at night,” he said. “The ramp is usually pretty well occupied, with people always coming through.”

Swanson said the car was an easy target for thieves, however.

“You can see why they picked the vehicle – there were a lot of valuables inside,” he said.

Swanson said he hopes the incident will be an isolated one.

“If not, it’ll be interesting to find out who’s breaking into cars in the middle of the day,” he said.

Swanson said his advice to those who park on campus is simple.

“Don’t leave your valuables where thieves can see them,” he said. “Either hide them or put them in the trunk out of sight.”

Bergman said she plans to close her checking account in an effort to stop the thief or thieves from writing unauthorized checks in her name. She said she hopes her insurance will cover the cost of the broken window.

“I don’t really know what to do in a situation like this,” she said. “I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”