Campus Programs

Safety Comes First

Many students choose UC Berkeley for its vibrant, big-city, Bay Area locale. To make sure they navigate their urban setting safely, the campus offers an array of tips and services, from night shuttles and escorts to safety booklets to a full-service police department. Smart students will take advantage of these — and make safety second nature

By Nancy Bronstein

Keeping the Peace

Assistant Police Chief Mitch Celaya (left) confers with officers and dispatchers in UCPD’s offices on campus in Sproul Hall. The department has 75 sworn officers, 45 staff, and 60 student employees. Peg Skorpinski photo

Campus police take safety seriously, as they would for their own kids, says Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya. Here is his advice for parents and students

Fall 2007 | Berkeley’s campus conjures up colorful images — towering redwoods, bubbling creeks, serious students, passionate sports fans, and a vibrant social, political, and cultural scene. Berkeley is a waystation for heads of state, Nobel laureates, visiting scholars, and even the homeless. Smack-dab in the middle of the city of Berkeley, this urban campus is a mini-city all its own, with a daily population of some 55,000 people — almost 34,000 of them students. And it’s rife with the complexities of any metropolitan area. Keeping the campus safe falls largely to the University of California Police Department, where Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya is second
in command.

On campus or in town, be prepared with safety-smart tips and services > Play it safe at night > Cal police aid region with specialized skills, equipment, and a robot >

Q: People often ask why UC Berkeley has its own police department.

A: Our number one job is to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. It’s very different from that of police officers in Philadelphia or Boston because of who we work with. We’re a full-service department, quite large for a campus this size, with 75 sworn officers operating 24/7 with foot, bike, and motorcycle patrols, and joint patrols with the city of Berkeley. We have a crime-prevention unit, a detective division, a SWAT team, a bomb team, two bomb-sniffing dogs, and a special-protection unit for dignitaries. Because our campus has a rich history of protests and demonstrations, we provide our officers with special training to deal with those events. We also spend time giving basic safety presentations to students and parents, and we work hard to maintain open channels with the students through our residential-
liaison officers. We take our job protecting and insuring the safety of anyone on campus very seriously, and we take it personally when things happen.

Q: You’ve seen it all in your 25 years on the UCPD force. From your point of view, what should every student know to be safe?

A: I’d give our Berkeley students the same advice I’d give my college-age son. Have fun. Enjoy college life. But don’t have your fun at the expense of your own safety. Always be aware of your surroundings. Use the safety programs we offer at no charge. If you’re at the library until 2 a.m., don’t walk home alone. Plan ahead. Call BearWALK (see night-safety sidebar, right). This is all part of taking responsibility for your actions. It can be overwhelming, and you have to be smart about what you do. Sometimes kids get a false sense of security. For some students, it’s the first time they’re living on their own, but this is the Bay Area. They need to be street-savvy, so they won’t be victimized. When you’re wearing an iPod, for example, you tend to be oblivious to everything else, and that can be dangerous.

Q: Campus crime can be parents’ greatest concern. What can you say to put their minds at ease?

A: As a major institution, Berkeley draws lots of people to the campus. This is overall a safe place, but with so many people, we’re not immune to crime. The most frequent crime is property theft: people stealing laptops, bicycles, backpacks, iPods, cell phones. We advise everyone to keep their property on them or safely locked up.

Q: What about problems on the south side of campus?

A: Over the past four months, we’ve dramatically increased our presence there. We now have one sergeant and seven officers plus beat officers patrolling there, in addition to city police. Our stronger presence is making a difference, and the quality of life on Southside is improving. At the same time, the campus is working toward a plan for Peoples’ Park. Right now a report is in review, awaiting community feedback.

Q: How easily can students get help when they need it?

A: It’s easy to find us. Students can pick up any campus phone and dial 911, and their call comes directly to our communications center. If they’re calling from a cell phone, they should call us directly at 510/642-3333, and we’ll pick it up as an emergency call. Our response time averages just four minutes, a better response time than any law enforcement agency in this area.

Q: Can parents get in touch with you if they’d like to?

A: We encourage parents who have concerns to contact us by e-mail at ucpolice@berkeley.edu. They can also get campus safety news by subscribing to our police news e-mail list (police.berkeley.edu/newselist.html) or to our up-to-the-minute safety alerts (police.berkeley.edu/STandAR).