VIGILANCE NEEDED

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Sergeant Mario Vasquez heading to a call

Delta’s police department is doing everything in its power to keep the campus safe and secure for the students.

Recently, there have been arrests weekly, if not once a day.

The latest arrest was Michael Kelly, Jr., 41, of Stockton.

On Oct. 27, officers responded to calls of a suspicious male on campus.

He was found to be in possession of an illegal knife and marijuana. He was transported to San Joaquin County Jail on felony weapons charges.

Delta officer Geff Greenwood, said that when looking for suspicious people they mainly look for:

“People wandering the lots with no backpacks/not following the normal class patterns, people with gang tattoos or gang related clothing, people in areas where people do not normally travel, people who have no logical reason to be on campus, people hanging around the same area for long periods of time with no apparent reason.”

He said these reasons do not give them reason to detain the person, but it helps officers make a consensual contact.

This contact often develops into reasonable suspicion to detain or probable cause to arrest the suspicious person.

Delta’s campus is an “open campus.”

Members of the public can enter campus as long as they have business here.

When students are walking to cars and walking through stairways, the best thing to do is pay attention to things/situations that are suspicious.

Always trust instincts and call campus police at (209) 954-5000 or pick up any blue phone and report the incident.

The Delta police force makes arrests simply because people take the time to call.

“We do lots of things to deter crime. One of the most effective is simply being visible to those who would do criminal acts on campus,” said Greenwood. “The other is making sure we catch and convict those who break the law. The word gets out that this is not a safe place to commit crimes. Criminals will commit criminal acts where they feel they will not be caught. We try very hard to send the message that we will catch them and we will prosecute them.”