Better preparation, better prospects

Residents of Linda are well acquainted with the town’s nefarious reputation. And Yuba Community College is located right on the edge of it..

Shootings have been occurring more often on school grounds recently, so we can only hope that this campus doesn’t go along with the trend. One thing we can do to ensure that won’t happen here is to better prepare ourselves and commit to guiding future students along a honest path.

Now we can’t always prevent an incident from happening, but we do have a response team on campus that is authorized to use force if an emergency presents itself. The Yuba Community College District Police Department is a well-prepared team that is committed to the safety of the students, faculty members, and visitors. The YCCDPD covers all five campuses in the YCCD, and provides safety services for all sorts of needs.

There are 5 total full-time officers in the YCCDPD, in addition to 5 part-time officers. These officers have been training with the district police and the sheriff’s department in preparation for almost every possible scenario. Once a year, they even train with SWAT. So whether it’s a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or a flood, or major crimes like arson or a shooting, these brave men and women will be here putting everything on the line for you. After all, everyone’s safety is their top priority.

And it’s not an easy job to patrol 4,200 square miles to provide that safety to everyone, so give these officers some proper appreciation when you can. They well deserve it.

But, of course, they can’t always do everything for us. To have a completely and truly safe environment on campus, we as students must cooperate with the YCCDPD. In every classroom, there is a green handbook for students to read that details ways that you can prepare yourself in case of emergencies, as well as ways you can help. A revision of that book is also in the works to keep everything up-to-date. Get to know the basics of it so that you are prepared to help out when you can. After all, this school is a community.

Byron Green, an officer of the YCCDPD, suggests that if they had the budget, the campuses could have video surveillance installed. This may provide quicker ways of leading to an arrest but may not always prevent a crime from happening. Though, of course, if someone were to spot a camera they may think twice about what they planned to do.

One other way to keep yourself informed is by subscribing to the Mobile Alert Notification system. By texting the letters YC to AlertU (253788), you will receive notifications whenever an alert is put out. This is great when you’re just about to drive to campus and unaware that a wild animal is loose on campus. AlertU will notify you that it may not be advisable to come to class that day. Now that’s a helpful service.

Yuba College’s crime rates have been extremely low in the past few years, and the Marysville campus itself has been pretty much self-contained, isolated from the negative incidents that surround it. But don’t let that blind you from knowing that the chances of outside influences able to creep onto campus still exist.

Outsiders can easily just walk in here and commit atrocities that will put our campus on focus. And as much as we don’t want that happening, it would be much worse if an act of bloodshed were caused by a student or faculty member.
If recent shootings have taught us anything, it’s that the offenders are often individuals who have been neglected or bullied by others. So please, don’t make your fellow students feel that the only way they can express themselves is to shoot up the place. And no, gun control won’t do anything.

Whether you care for someone else or just your own well-being, don’t ignore the possibilities that anything can happen. And don’t just come and go from campus only for your classes. You shouldn’t avoid a campus life by becoming sheltered and introverted. Remaining ignorant can be part of the dangers on campus because you’re not there to report and provide information that may lead to a better school experience. Looking the other way makes you just as guilty as a criminal.

Don’t wait for things to happen. Keep an eye out for those new green books and keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Let’s each do our parts to create a safer community.