Clery Security Report breaks down campus crime

(Illustrated by:Daniel Valencia) — (Illustrated by: Daniel Valencia)

Drug related arrests are on the decline, while robberies and burglaries have become more frequent on PCC’s campus, according to the statistics documented in the recently released Clery Security Report.

The Clery Act, formally known as the “Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990,” was passed after a freshman at Lehigh University named Jeanne Ann Clery was raped and murdered in her dorm room on April 5, 1986. Clery, her family, and the rest of the student population did not know about Lehigh’s history of violent crime because campus security was not required to alert the public.

Along with explanations and definitions of what certain crimes are, the report demonstrates trends in campus crime on the PCC main campus, the community education center, and our satellite campus in Rosemead.

Besides robbery and burglary, which have increased by three arrests and four arrests respectively, crime has dropped substantially. Most notably, drug violations are down from 25 in 2011 to just two in 2013.

“We’ve got a highly visible and proactive campus security presence that is patrolling the campus,” said Police Sergeant Bill Abernathie. “Also, students now a days seem to be more focused on coming to campus for class instead of committing crimes.”

Ryan Yamamoto, an advertising major at PCC added, “I feel perfectly safe on the PCC campus, most of the students keep to themselves and I haven’t had any threatening experiences so far.”

In addition to publishing an annual report explaining security policies and disclosing three years worth of arrest statistics, the report must also be publicly available to students, faculty, staff, and applicants seeking employment. Warnings must be issued regarding crimes that may pose a threat to the campus. Detailed information regarding the Clery Act can be found at www.securityoncampus.org.

PCC Interim Police Chief Steven Matchan said the report is necessary to keeping the campus safe.

“We base everything off of these stats, so that we can make sure that when our people are needed the most, we are able to schedule that based on those numbers,” said Matchan.