The annual security report for Cerritos College was released by campus police on Saturday, Oct 1st.
The report contains safety information and crime statistics from 2015.
Colleges around the country are mandated to send out a yearly security report due to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act.
Chief of Police Tom Gallivan said, “The annual security is something that is mandated by Clery and requires us to put a security report in. This includes all the information regarding criminal activity at the school, what we do, daily crime logs and missing persons report. Every heading you see in the report is mandated by Clery.”
This covers all on campus criminal activity and in the surrounding public areas.
“Basically to the curb line. If it happens from the curb line to the other side of Studebaker the LASD takes over and lets us know if a Clery crime has occurred,” he said.
The report contains information about how to go about reporting crimes confidentially, sexual assault/ domestic violence disclosure and general reporting of a crime.
If you are a victim of a violent, non-violent or crime of a sexual nature campus police encourages you to take action and report the situation.
The police department is open and available 24/7 for students, faculty and the general public to report any suspicious activity that has, or may occur.
Confidential reporting is an option for victims of a crime who may not be comfortable taking action criminally or through the college system.
Campus police will be obligated to share any updated information with alleged victims of sex offense about their case upon written request.
The school has also placed a number of what they call blue emergency phones around the campus for students who are in need of immediate assistants.
“We want everyone to know that [emergency phones] have cameras on them,” Gallivan said, “They are motion detected, so the cameras on top, they capture everything.”
Also, in efforts to optimize safety and awareness, the school in conjunction with campus police offer a number of workshops and educational seminars throughout the year to keep the community of Cerritos College informed on the matters of crime prevention.
“We will continue to provide [forums and workshops],” he said, “My job is to make sure the word gets out and that the students are aware that these different [educational resources] are available.”
“I just hope that they feel safe,” he finished.
This included sexual assault awareness workshops, briefings with campus police and theft prevention workshops.
Some of the tips that you can obtain by attending these workshops include:
Be aware of your surrounding at all times
Never walk alone in the dark (campus police is available for escort)
Lock your office door if working after hours
Never leave anything visible in your car
Never leave personal belongings unattended
When it came to the statistic of the actual crimes on campus numbers were low, with a decrease in motor vehicle theft and liquor violations.
Gallivan said, “I think the decrease is really attributed to the emphasis on high visibility patrol through out the parking lot [and on campus.]”
However, there has been an increase in drug offenses, domestic violence situations and one case of rape.
Engineering major Kay Uraizee said, “I feel like it’s somewhat accurate based on what people see, but it’s [inaccurate] because not everything gets reported.”
Hans Magdaleno, political science major, stated, “I figure a lot of people [on campus] use [drugs] anyway, but don’t get caught until they do something stupid.”
Chief Gallivan hopes to contain the issue with more focus on high visibility patrol and continued forums on personal safety.
Also he said, in light of the tension and resentment directed towards police departments and its officers, they are very vigilant and prepared should something happen.
