Although two vehicles were stolen from the west parking lot at the beginning of the semester, many students at Yuba College still feel safe and say that they trust others on campus.
“I don’t really question the crime rate on campus. People usually just come here for an education, then move on,” said Josh Flores, a freshman. Flores, however, did complain about the drawings on the bathroom walls.
Amanda Garcia, a veteran student, acknowledged that crimes occur on campus, but added, “just not that often. And I have to park here no matter what.”
On Thursday, August 23, a 1994 four-door Honda Civic was stolen from section F in the west lot between 8 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. The next day a 1993 two-door Honda Civic was stolen from the west lot over flow area west of the tennis courts, between 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.
Both vehicles were recovered the following Sunday by the Roseville Police Department in the parking lot of the Roseville Galeria Mall.Police Chief Dennis Dunn said these thefts are not an “every day occurrence” and that they are not the work of Yuba College students. Most culprits, said Dunn, are residents of the areas surrounding the campus.
Dunn continued to explain that when these off-campus opportunist see a window cracked or a door unlocked, they take advantage of the situation. The crimes themselves are “random, with no particular target,” said Dunn.
According to Dunn, action is being taken to ensure the safety of the vehicles in both parking lots, though he would not elaborate. Dunn mentioned that he has three to six officers patrolling the campus’s 1,872 parking spots every class day.
The patrolling officers are reassuring to some students at Yuba College. “I just lock my doors and don’t really worry about it,” said student Amanda Garcia.
Dunn, however, recommended doing more than locking your car doors. Not leaving attractive items, like CDs and cell phones, in plain view can deter criminals from targeting your car.
Parking in the east lot may also give you better statistical odds for protection. The east lot is, not only smaller, but more visible to the police department and easier to be patrolled. The west lot, on the other hand, is huge, secluded and not as closely monitored.
Dunn also recommends using anything on a vehicle that would be an indication of an alarm system being present, or a CLUB device on a steering wheel. The Yuba College police department has said that they enjoy cooperation from those on campus, and encourage students to report things that they deem as suspicious for further investigation.
Dunn believes that crime on campus has gone down significantly because “more people on campus, student and teachers alike, are more willing to report crimes than they have been in the past.”
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