With COVID-19 keeping students mostly remote, crime on all Los Rios Community College District campuses, including City College, continues to decline. 

The Los Rios Police Department maintains a crime log on its website that lists all crimes within the district, including the four main campuses and all district properties, and the log is updated every 24 hours. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, there were 174 reported crime incidents in the district, including larceny theft, burglary and assaults. During 2020, with most of the year being remote, that number dropped to just 39 reported crime incidents across the district. In 2021, there have only been seven reported crimes.

City College 2021 Clery Report

According to the 2021 Clery Report for City College, there were only six reported crimes and arrests, as opposed to its previous year of 13 crimes and arrests when classes were still on campus. 

Los Rios Police Chief Larry Savidge believes classes being held remotely has had a direct influence on the decrease. 

“SCC was fortunate to have very low crime numbers prior to the pandemic, and with the reduced on-ground population during remote operations, crime numbers have been even lower,” Savidge said in an email.   

The annual Clery Report was established after the Clery Act was passed in 1990 following the murder of a Lehigh University student in her dorm room. The federal law requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to publicly disclose information about crime that occurs on and around their campuses.

 “An important component of the Clery Act requires colleges and universities to publish an Annual Security Report (ASR) every year by October 1st that contains three years’ worth of campus crime statistics and certain security policy statements,” Savidge wrote. “The ASR is important because it is a comprehensive resource for safety related information.  For example, the ASR includes information on sexual assault prevention and response policies, alcohol and drug policies, the law enforcement authority of campus police; and where students should go to report crimes.”

The ASR can help to identify trends and can help campus and law enforcement officials implement protocols for crime prevention in the future.

Land Park murder

In September of this year, a 61-year-old woman and her two dogs were murdered in Land Park, one block away from the City College campus. After neighbors noticed Mary “Kate” Tibbitts’ house on the 2200 block of 11th Avenue on fire, law enforcement responding to the fire found the woman’s body inside the house. 

Police arrested Troy Davis, who had been released on parole in June, and he has been charged with assault, murder and arson. Davis is being held without bail and is also eligible for the death penalty, according to ABC10. Davis has a criminal record dating back to 2013 and has previously been charged with robbery, sexual battery and possession of drugs, according to CBS.

The unhoused community   

Classes remaining remote also come with a set of new concerns specific to the unhoused community, Savidge said. 

“Unfortunately, the increased number of unhoused individuals is indicative of the challenges we share with our neighboring communities and businesses,” Savidge said. “LRPD will be partnering with the division of behavioral health services to form a mobile crisis support team for the district that we hope will have an integral role in providing much needed support resources.”

The Division of Behavioral Health Services can offer guidance to the unhoused, such as substance use prevention and treatment, as well as mental health services.

LRPD resources available to students

Although LRPD is committed to the safety of students on campus, off-campus calls, such as domestic violence, are still addressed and can be directed to external support resources. 

“Supporting our community members when they are in crisis is very important to LRPD,” Savidge said. “LRPD can take reports of domestic violence that occur off campus and later coordinate with the agencies within the jurisdictions where the incidents occurred.” 

Campus police services available to students have not changed through the pandemic, according to Savidge. 

“LRPD continues to patrol the campuses 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We continue to provide services like safety escorts and vehicle assistance (jumpstarts and unlocks),” Savidge said. 

With on-campus police continuing their safety protocols throughout the pandemic, they won’t have much to adjust to with more on-campus classes approaching, according to Savidge. Officers may have to reinstitute traffic control at certain points of the day, but other than that, LRPD is looking forward to the return of more students and staff and will continue its mission to provide a safe learning environment for students. 

The LRPD recommends calling 916-558-2221 for assistance. The LRPD can also be contacted using the blue emergency phones located around the campus and identified on campus maps. The LRPD also encourages students and staff to download the RAVE Guardian App, which allows users to contact the police department by touching one button. Users can also communicate with a dispatcher via text and use a safety timer. For more information on the RAVE Guardian App, visit https://police.losrios.edu/emergencies/emergency-alerts.