The rash of automobile thefts that had been afflicting the Frost Campus of Saint Louis University since Aug. 10 appears to have ceased last week, according to Public Safety Director Mike Lauer.

One automobile theft did occur at SLU last week, but it took place near the Manresa Retreat Center, which is located on Washington Boulevard and is not contiguous with the Frost Campus.

Lauer said that this incident appears to have been a crime of opportunity and was unrelated to the earlier series of thefts.

No other car thefts have been reported since early last week.

Lauer said that he is unsure why the wave of automobile thefts has come to a halt.

“It could be an anomaly, or it could be that the increased focus [on the crimes] led the car thieves to go somewhere else,” Lauer said. “I can’t explain it.”

Lauer said that special measures against automobile theft have been in place, including the use of unmarked police vehicles to covertly survey parking areas for suspicious activities.

These undercover police officers have not caught the culprits in the act of stealing an automobile from campus, however, according the Lauer.

Eight cars have been stolen from campus parking facilities since mid-August, when the spree began. There had only been one automobile theft previous to this in 2008.

Lauer said that the crimes seem to be part of a larger pattern of car thefts in Midtown and the surrounding areas that police first noticed more than a month ago.