The on-campus stabbing of a Stagg High School student, in addition to an uptick in violence in the city of Stockton, is trending closely with elevated crime acts nationwide.
According to Stockton’s Community Crime map, powered by LexisNexis, in the past two months there have been 265 acts of theft, 99 acts of aggravated assault, 70 acts of burglary, 56 acts of robbery, three acts of sexual assault, and two homicides in Stockton alone, as of May 1.
Stockton’s homicide count is at two for 2022.
These sobering statistics are pushing students to think about their safety now more than ever before.
“I have always had concerns for my own safety and my loved ones when I go out in public,” said Bryan Bernal Arroyo, a Delta student. “I have lived in Stockton for almost all my life and I’m no stranger to the crime that is in Stockton. That’s why I’m always aware of my surroundings and do what I can to protect myself and the ones I’m with.”
Like Arroyo, other college students in Stockton also feel a rise in concern for their safety when going about with their daily lives.
“Once I start getting farther off of campus, I definitely become extra cautious of my surroundings, especially due to the recent acts of violence,” said University of the Pacific (UOP) student Johan Espinoza. “I think it’s always important to have situational awareness and use common sense no matter where you are. We don’t have to be afraid every day, but if students take the right steps to stay safe, hopefully we will never be victims of a violent crime.”
Students say they feel safer when on campus because of the security provided by the police department. Delta and UOP have on-campus police departments.
“I do feel safe on campus to an extent,” said Arroyo. “After the recent stabbing at Stagg it did make me feel less safe about open campuses but I am pretty confident with the security at Delta.”
The confidence that students have in the security at Delta stems from the low crime rates that happen on the actual campus. While crime mapping notes higher numbers of crime off campus, Delta’s statistics show a different picture.
According to Delta’s 2021 Clery Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, compiled by the San Joaquin Delta College District Police Department (which is the most recent report), there were a total of only three criminal offenses on the main Stockton campus in the past year of 2020. Two of them being from motor vehicle theft and the other one from burglary.
With the College District Police Department taking student’s safety seriously, this has kept campus life relatively safe.
“We fully understand that we’re here for the students and our ultimate goal is making sure that our students are able to successfully achieve their goals in life,” said Delta College Police Sergeant Jim Bock.
When on campus, one has most likely noticed the police vehicles patrolling around on a daily basis. The black and white units, which are the sworn police officers, are often patrolling the perimeter of campus.
“We found over the years that because we are in such a high crime city, our police presence on the exterior of campus is a far greater deterrent for people coming on to campus to do bad deeds,” said Bock. “Nine out of ten times when we have a crime that occurs on campus, it is from the city of Stockton coming in, not from our students within.”
Even though students have the police department to enforce safety measures, it is important to still always be aware of your own safety. Bock recommends a couple of tips on staying clear from unexpected danger when in public.
Bock said the Rave mobile Guardian app is a great way to stay aware of danger. It’s not only an app to notify about Covid exposure, but also an emergency notification app for clery crimes and/or general crimes that happen in the area. If a form of crime happens in the campus area, the police department sends a notification to your phone through this app and warns the campus community. It also allows easy contact with the dispatch center through text if members of the campus community feel unsafe. Another positive aspect to it is that it’s not limited to only being on Delta’s campus.
The other tip Bock provides is to always be aware of your surroundings. “The big thing to remember is that criminals are people of opportunity. If they see you walking and your head is down, you’ve got two earbuds in, your face is looking at your cell phone, then you have the appearance to a criminal of being weak and unaware of your surroundings.”
Being aware of your surroundings looks something like this: keeping one earbud out, always keeping your head up, acknowledging people when they walk by you, and evening walking out in pairs.
These safety tips go beyond the campus environment, they can be translated into everyday life to stay clear of the unexpected danger that this world seems to face on a daily basis.