Where are the police when you need them?

By Cassandra Hendry

The Guardsman

Recently there have been three robberies and an attempted rape in the Wellness Center on Ocean campus this semester.  But the question is how are all these thieves getting away with stealing students personal items or even holding them up at gunpoint? Also where is the campus police when you need them?

The students of City College deserve to be protected from this kind of violence.

There are only 28 active police officers along with nine civilian employees. City College has 12 main locations in San Francisco and it is overwhelming to protect the campuses with so few officers. The police can’t be at two places at once. There just aren’t enough officers.

A lot of students question why campus police are never around.. But it’s not their fault that they are understaffed, it’s this economy that we live in. No one wants to work without pay and it’s also not that easy to become a police officer. City College police officers “must graduate from a POST Certified academy and also attend continuing training on law enforcement and other appropriate topics,” according to the City College website.

City College needs more officers and should get permission to hire them because safety is important. But with all of the cutbacks it makes it harder for the hiring committee to hire more police personnel, because there is not enough money to pay them.

Students at City College want to feel safe and not be scared about losing their valuables. Campus police have the responsibility to make students feel safe. The students are the bulk of this school, and yes they need protection. the police are trying to get things in order and people just need to remember that these things take time. Students must be patient, and like Diamond Dave Whitaker says, “Don’t panic, keep it organic.”