UC Berkeley parents have mobilized private security guards to protect students on campus in response to the recent surge in crime around campus. UC Berkeley is dissatisfied, saying that campus security should be left to the university. The Los Angeles Times reported that in recent years, as crimes such as theft and sexual assault have increased around the UC Berkeley campus, parents have raised funds to ensure the safety of their children and hired private security to patrol the campus.
The private security guards provided by UC Berkeley parents are called “Safe Bears” Ambassadors. They patrol around campus from 6:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. They do not carry weapons but wear uniforms. Parents raised $42,000 and hired six private security guards to temporarily mobilize private security guards to patrol around student apartments on campus for 17 days from the 6th to the 23rd. The security guard program has ended.
Although there have been cases where students have asked private security guards to provide escorts, in most cases, the mere presence of these security guards patrolling the campus area is effective in preventing crime, according to parents who participated in the Safe Bears program. A total of 1,300 parents participated in the Safe Bears program.
Due to the increasing crime rate around campus, we met online to discuss opinions and agreed to provide private security. The Safe Bears Parent Association was formed in 2022 when one person was killed, and three others were injured in a shooting in front of the U.S. Berkeley campus. Parents are complaining that the school is responding too laxly to the recent surge in crime around the U.S. Berkeley campus. It has been reported that incidents of robbery and sexual assault have increased significantly around the UCY Berkeley campus in the past few years.
Vehicle theft cases have increased dramatically. The number of vehicle thefts, which was 81 in 2021, soared to 307 in 2022 the following year. Here, vehicle theft includes scooters and bikes used by students. A total of 7,960 property and violent crimes were reported around campus in 2023, an increase of 700 from the previous year.
The university’s position is that it is dissatisfied with parents’ use of private security guards. They say that if they donate to the university, the university will strengthen security on their own, but they are dissatisfied that the existence of private security guards can create a preconceived notion that campus security is bad, and that it is not possible to check whether the private security guards have been properly trained.
The issue of security on college campuses should be handled in coordination with the university and is not a matter for parents to act arbitrarily. It was revealed that the university currently employs 45 campus police officers.