Campus crime is slightly below average so far this spring, with most incidents reported as being vehicle related.

Typically, crime levels tend to be lower in spring semesters than in fall semesters. “The frequency of incidents is much greater in the fall,” said Police Specialist Nidal Kobaissi. This may be attributed to the fact that student turnover rates are lower in the spring. “The same people come during the spring semester,” Kobaissi said. Continuing students are more accustomed to campus regulations and laws, he said.

There were several accounts of petty theft during the last weeks of January, but the amounts stolen were minimal and no arrests were made.

There was a report of graffiti and minor vandalism in the Sierra Madre building on Jan. 27. In instances like this, police record letters and symbols in the graffiti and use this information to track down repeat offenders.

On Feb. 5, a hit-and-run accident was reported in parking lot B/C. The perpetrator hit a parked car and then left the scene. No arrests were made.

Now that the semester is underway, students are encouraged to continue following parking laws. During the first week of school, campus police did not issue parking tickets in campus parking lots, but only gave warnings with citations of existing rules. “A lot of times, new students come and they don’t know that we have parking regulations,” said Kobaissi.

Now that students are better informed, campus police have begun issuing tickets with fines.

On Jan. 22, a car accident was reported in lot B/C. Police were called to the scene and took a report; however, the damage was minimal and there were no serious injuries.

An accident involving a school tram was reported on Jan. 28. A church group was using the campus for the day and had rented the tram. The driver, who was a member of the church group and not a school employee, accidentally pressed the wrong button and the tram crashed into the doors of the San Rafael building. No serious injuries were reported. The doors have since been boarded up, and students are using doors at the opposite side of the building.