ROUND OUNDUP theroundupnews.com
Woodland Hills, California
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Volume 115 - Issue 5
October 26, 2011
One copy free, each additional copy 50¢
Keeping the campus safe
Jose Romero/ Roundup Safety: Sheriffʼs Security Officer Bryan Chavez poses outside the Sheriffʼs Office in a patrol car. He has worked on campus for one year and five months. He said the hardest part of the job is going home.
Despite a rise in campus crime, Pierce remains safe thanks to dedicated professionals Safety Tips:
Lior Haykeen/ Roundup
* Never walk alone in a parking lot. *Always try to travel in areas that are well lit and provide high visibility. *Make eye contact with those around you. *Lock your car and make sure all windows are up. *If you suspect you are being followed, go to the nearest populated area, find the closest blue phone or go to the Sheriffʼs Office.
On a college campus the size of some small towns, two sheriff ’s deputies aided by 13 security officers and 11 cadets are committed to keeping the peace. Half way through the semester, Pierce employees and students have already been exposed to a bookstore manager accused of embezzlement, a burglarized office, arrests, and thefts. “With the economy going down and people losing their jobs, it wouldn’t surprise me if [crime rates] go up,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Nohles. During September there has been a 25 percent rise in thefts, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD). “Petty thefts are crimes of opportunity,” said Nohles. “People leave cells, purses and wal-
Provided by LASDʼs Personal Safety Tips lets, and other people take them.” “For the size we are, I think we’re one of the schools with the lowest crime rates.”
Do we feel safe here?
The sheriffs and cadets take different roles to ensure our safety. While cadets enforce parking laws and issue parking tickets, the sheriffs are called when a vehicle burglary or vandalism take place. Cadets lock and unlock doors, help out at the Sheriff’s office and escort disabled students. Sheriffs, however, search and
chase after suspects, enforce criminal laws and pass on information to Los Angeles Police Department and other detectives. “We’re here to keep the staff and students safe,” said Nohles. The campus’ sheriffs and cadets makes some students safe. “There’s always someone to help you at the Sheriff’s office,” said Danielle Dagan, Pierce student. “The cadets are always around campus, and, if you look, there’ll always be someone there to ask for help.
Blue lights
Once the red button is pushed, the call is transferred directly to the Sheriff’s Office, where the operator is notified of the caller’s location. Then, the sheriffs make sure that the caller is no longer in danger, make a report and start looking for the suspect reported. “People usually come up to the Sheriff’s office to complain about crime, they don’t know that it’s much easier to just push the [red] button,” said Nohles.
The 26 security personnel cannot cover every part of the campus at all times. For this reason, the school has developed the emergency blue phone system, a campuswide access and emergency line meant to keep the safety of students and staff. Commonly referred to as ‘blue lights,’ the phones are actually large blue poles with the word ‘emerWatching Cameras gency’ printed on their sides, and Hidden cameras are not a part a red button accompanied by the of campus security. They are not words ‘push for help’ in the cen- monitored around the clock, but ter. only when deputies or security There are 21 blue phones officers find the time to look at spread throughout campus, which them, according to Nohles. are available for students’ use “People are programmed to around the clock. know that everywhere they go The Sheriff’s Office receives they are on camera,” said Nohles. at least one call from a blue phone Although visible security camon campus every couple of days, eras are common, there are sevaccording to Nohles. eral parts of campus that entirely Even so, most of the calls are from lost students looking for di- lhaykeen.roundupnews@gmail.com rections and information.
Deputies, security officers and cadets on patrol A ride along with one of Pierce’s security officers offers an inside look at the college sheriffs and their strategies for embracing the peace Carlos Islas / Roundup
Emmad Abbasi/ Roundup
Patrolling: Sheriffʼs Security Officer Bryan Chavez patrols the campus in his car. Daily and unpredictable patrols keep criminals on their toes and help students stay safe.
Did you know?
Average age of college professors across California District Age in years LACCD 52 Santa Clarita 52 Ventura 54.4 Monterey 57.5 Lassen 58
During his routine patrol of the college campus, the sheriff’s security officer encountered three individuals placing flyers for a weight loss program on car windshields in Lot 7. After approaching the group, officer Justin Ramos, asked the men to stop placing the flyers and leave the campus if they are not students. “They [could be using] placing flyers as a way to look into cars,” said Ramos. “They’ll see what they have and break in.” Resuming his patrol, he heads to the other side of the parking lot and
Weather
Wed. 26: Sunny High 74° Low 49° Thurs. 27: Sunny High 81° Low 49° Fri. 28: Sunny High 85° Low 49° Sat. 29: Sunny High 87° Low 51° Sun. 30: Sunny High 86° Low 49° Mon. 31: Partly Cloudy High 79° Low 51° Tues. 1: Sunny High 76° Low 53°
pretends he’s leaving. After reaching the designated exit he makes his way back to the middle of the parking lot. It’s a move Ramos refers to as a “double back.” Today, he used it to make sure the group has left and are no longer placing their flyers on student windshields. Encounters like these are not uncommon for the green shirted sheriff’s deputies, white shirted security officers and blue clad cadets that routinely patrol the college campus to ensure the safety of the students. “We can go months and months where nothing happens and then the next day we’ll be really busy,” said Ramos.
See Page 3 for information about contractors for the LACCD See page 4 for a profile of two cadets.
Inside
The deputies, cadets and security officers have no set routine to abide by when patrolling the campus, according to Ramos. They begin their patrol wherever they please, spend time where they feel they’re needed and have no set route; as long as they cover the entire campus. This ensures that criminals will not be able to predict the officer or cadet’s next step. Deputies, cadets and security officers can go either on foot, by bike, cart or patrol vehicle during patrol. Anyone unfortunate enough to spend time in the back seat of patrol car soon discovers it has no door handles or locks. The doors are opened
from the outside and locked by the sheriffs from the front. On foot, officers can cover the Mall and the building hallways. Those who choose to patrol on foot have to remain close enough to a patrol unit in case any trouble arises. Security officers will react to a situation depending on the individual’s attitude, according to Ramos. Cadets, however, they are not allowed to engage any individuals. They must call their superiors to handle any problems they encounter.
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