Help us bring in private security 🫶🏾
USC Safety Ambassador (aka “Yellowjacket”) at work
SafeBears is hiring private security to patrol near campus at an estimated cost of $30,000. Will you help us keep our Bears safe?
(Update: SafeBears raised over $40,000, allowing us to run our private security pilot March 6 - 23, 2024! Read all about it here.)
Why Private Security?
UC Berkeley is currently ranked the #3 most dangerous campus in the US. Carjackings have more than doubled from prior years. Robberies are up 24% from last year, with 1 out of 4 involving guns.
Students are increasingly at risk of harm from gun violence at Cal.
In June 2020, 19-year-old UC Berkeley student Seth Smith was shot and killed while walking close to his apartment. In October 2022, 4 people were shot right in front of Unit 3, and one of the victims died shortly after.
Here’s what students had to say about it.
After the October 2022 homicide, the UC Berkeley administration temporarily brought in private security and crime dropped. But as soon as the school removed private security, crime increased again.
Private security WORKS!
SafeBears has already met with representatives from Block by Block and Streetplus, two of the most respected vendors offering private security services to universities, and they are keen to develop a successful pilot with us. Our plan is to bring in private security agents at approximately 14 locations during a two-week period that is always a concern for Cal parents: finals week and the study week which precedes it.
Our goal for the pilot program is twofold: to keep our Bears safe, of course, but also to spur the university to fund private security for as long as it takes to hire more UCPD personnel (both sworn officers and non-sworn safety responders). We are following the successful example of USC parents — who funded a private security pilot that was so popular that the university had no choice but to take over the program themselves.
But it isn’t going to be cheap. Preliminary estimates are coming in around $30,000. Will you help?
Crime during the 2023 Fall Semester
Nude male masturbating in front of Unit 2 Residence Hall (Oct 21)
A 19-year-old Berkeley student was carjacked at gunpoint in front of Unit 2 (Oct 9)
A robbery near Unit 2 by two individuals armed with an AR-15 (Sep 21)
Several students chased with a pickaxe in Unit 2 courtyard (Sep 10)
Armed robbery by two individuals at Stuart and Hillegass (Sep 7)
Armed carjacking of UC Berkeley student outside fraternity house; also attempted carjacking by Memorial Stadium (Aug 14)
Victim shot with pellet gun (Aug 13)
This is just a partial list of the crime we have seen at Cal during the Fall semester. (For a more complete list, visit our Crime at Cal page.)
UCPD doesn’t have enough cops
One of the biggest factors driving crime on and near campus is the lack of sworn police officers at UCPD. Ten years ago, UCPD had 80 officers. Today that number is down to 46.
Most UC schools have one police officer for every 600 to 900 students. At UC Berkeley, we only have one police officer for 1,430 students.
Why so few officers? If you speak with the administration, you will hear a lot about how difficult it is to hire police officers in the post-George Floyd environment in which many Americans are questioning the role of police in their communities.
What often goes unsaid, however, is that UC Berkeley has cut funding for UCPD every year since 2018:
Source: Community safety: UCPD budget and workforce
In that same period, nearly every other UC school has increased funding over 2018 levels.
Cal’s UCPD budget is 14% lower than it was in 2018.
And during that time, violent crime against UC Berkeley students has exploded. UCPD Chief Yogananda Pittman has described the low number of officers as “a crisis,” and we completely agree.
Why private security is the answer
UC Berkeley is not the only university struggling to attract sworn police officers. To fill the gap between what exists and what is needed, many universities have retained the services of private security companies.
UT Austin, Ohio State University, the University of Southern California, and dozens of other US universities have decided that student safety is truly their top priority — not just something to stick in a brochure for prospective families.
Private security firms like Block by Block and Streetplus can deploy trained personnel on the streets where UC Berkeley students live and spend time. These agents offer a highly visible security presence that makes students feel safe. They carry radios which can be used to call for assistance — either from other agents, or from local law enforcement with whom they work closely. And it’s part of a growing nationwide trend. Cities are increasingly turning to private security companies to fill the shortfall from not having enough police officers.
Streetplus agents at work
These agents are not armed. They are trained in de-escalation techniques, and they will not carry handcuffs, pepper spray, or other accoutrements of law enforcement that community members may find polarizing. Instead, they are a more advanced form of Community Service Officer (CSO), a role currently filled by Cal students working part-time for UCPD. The difference is these security personnel will be fully staffed and trained to keep Cal students safe.
An idea inspired by USC
Bringing in private security is an idea that is not only inspired by the fact that the administration, itself, has done this on a sporadic basis (after the October gun battle and fatality, for instance), but also by our behind-the-scenes tour of USC’s safety operations.
USC Safety Ambassador at work: “My job is to secure this gate right here.”
Safety Ambassadors (aka “Yellow Jackets”) are part-time security personnel who wear bright yellow vests and are deployed on and around USC’s campus.
The university hires residents from the local community to fill these roles whenever possible, so not only is USC creating a safer environment — it’s also creating jobs. Students love Yellow Jackets and know many of them by name. And if you wondered whether USC parents had anything to do with this incredible program, you’re spot on.
“We would not have the Yellow Jackets program without parents,” UCLA Interim Chief John Thomas told us. (Until recently, Thomas was DPS Chief at USC.)
Our Plan
Like parents of USC students who were fed up with increasing crime, Cal parents are prepared to lead the way and bring in private security to protect our students. We are not content to simply wait for the university to hire the number of police officers needed to keep our Bears safe.
We are going to fund a pilot program to bring in private security officers during a time of year that is always a concern for Cal parents: finals week.
During finals week, exams are scheduled in the evening, which means students have no choice but to travel outside at night. Many Cal parents have called upon the university to change this inexplicable schedule, as it puts students at increased risk of crime, but so far we have been unsuccessful in moving exam times.
We want to deploy private security officers around residence halls and at key areas around campus where students are known to congregate and walk through. We will work closely to determine the exact number of agents and hours of operation during this two week period (finals week and the study week which precedes it).
We have already met with representatives from Block by Block and Streetplus, two of the most respected vendors offering private security services to universities, and they are keen to develop a successful pilot with us. Whichever vendor we select will ensure their agents are tracking their work each day — how many students they assisted, how many dangerous situations they de-escalated, how many times they called UCPD or Berkeley PD for assistance, and so on. We will then present these data to the university and call upon them to fund a private security program themselves, and we will also share news of our pilot with the media and get as much coverage of it as possible.
Just like parents at USC, Cal parents are determined to lead the way.
FAQ
How much money has been raised so far?
We did it! Not only did we raise $30,000— we blew past that and actually raised $10,000 more! We will use any additional funds to either extend the duration or scope of the project (ie, longer shifts for security agents, increasing the number of agents, increasing the duration of the pilot beyond 14 days, etc.)
We’re putting together our plan right now and will share it as soon as possible.
Thank you for your overwhelming support!
When will the pilot start?
We originally hoped to put something in place by finals week in the Spring semester from approximately April 28 until May 10. But we’ve heard from a number of supporters who would like the pilot to start sooner, so we’re talking with the vendor about moving this up to January or February. While it will not coincide with finals week, violent crime at UC Berkeley does not operate according to a fixed calendar, and we recognize that our supporters want something in place quickly.
Once we’ve confirmed the pilot dates with our vendor, we will share this with everyone via our email newsletters and social media. (So be sure to sign up for our emails by clicking the “Join Us” button on our homepage!)
Why does it take so long?
If our goal were simply to bring in private security for two weeks, we could make this happen pretty quickly. But that’s not really what we’re aiming for here— it’s to ensure our students are safe every week of the year they are at UC Berkeley.
We’re going to do this by getting a large amount of media coverage of our private security pilot. The kind of coverage that puts pressure on the university to put more security personnel in place to keep students safe. We have been speaking with contacts at Bay Area media organizations about running a story describing how Cal families are sick & tired of waiting for the administration to act, and how we’re taking steps of our own to protect students from harm.
This is essentially how parents at USC succeeded in creating the famous Yellow Jackets security program: it began as a parent-led, parent-funded initiative that was later taken up by the USC administration.
What are the details of the private security pilot? How many security monitors? What hours? Etc.
Our goal is to provide coverage on the main thoroughfares where students walk after dark, and to have security agents in these areas as soon as possible after sundown until at least 1 to 2 AM. We are still working with the vendor on establishing numbers of agents, hours, and the overall length of the program and will share this information when ready.
Will the private security agents be armed?
Private security agents will not be armed. The city of Berkeley and many members of the Cal community have a long tradition of protecting the civil and physical rights of its members— especially when they believe those rights to be at risk from law enforcement. If we were to bring in armed security guards, it would immediately provoke a strong, negative response from many of the very students we want to make safer.
There is also precedent for this. A few years ago, an organization of businesses in downtown Berkeley sought to bring in private security agents who would carry basic protection equipment, like batons and handcuffs. This drew significant opposition from Berkeley residents at a City Council meeting, causing the entire effort to be scrapped before it got off the ground.
The agents we retain are trained in de-escalation techniques, and will carry radios and cell phones. They can use the latter tools to call for assistance when necessary— either from other agents stationed nearby, or from the Berkeley Police Department. In this way, our private security team will operate much like the school’s own CSO’s (Community Safety Officers), except that they will not be UC Berkeley students, but trained safety experts.
Which security vendors are being considered? Have we already signed a contract with one of them?
SafeBears leadership met with two of the largest private security companies currently providing services to US universities: Block by Block and Streetplus. Both firms have been featured in news stories for their work making universities safer in the face of massive police officer vacancies.
Streetplus has a specific advantage which makes it well-suited to a program like this: it already provides services to the business community in Berkeley. That means they already are familiar with many of the unique challenges facing the Berkeley community, and they already have established a strong working relationship with Berkeley Police Department.
While we have not yet entered into a written agreement, we are planning to meet with Streetplus in Berkeley to physically walk around the areas we would like to cover during the pilot.
Will the security agents be located on campus property?
No. While UC Berkeley is a public institution, its campus and residence halls are private property. Because of this, we cannot station private security guards on university property. But given that all residence halls at Cal are located off-campus, we feel private security can still make a significant difference by establishing “safety corridors” in high-traffic areas where Berkeley students walk at night.
So while a security agent will not be stationed in the courtyard of Unit 2, they could be stationed right outside the entrance to Unit 2 on one of the four public streets which it borders.
Is SafeBears working with any local law enforcement agencies for the pilot?
We have spoken with Berkeley Police Department about our private security pilot, and they confirmed they will support our efforts by making at least one police officer available to receive calls from private security agents if a situation occurs which requires police assistance. Because these security agents will be situated on public areas (i.e, not on university premises like Unit courtyards), Berkeley PD is the right choice of law enforcement agency.
We are also planning to meet with UCPD Chief Pittman in the next few weeks to describe the program and learn what kind of support UCPD agents may be able to provide.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Because SafeBears is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donation should be 100% tax deductible. Immediately after making your donation, you will receive an email from our processing partner, Anedot, which you can use as a receipt during tax prep. We also will send you a statement around the beginning of the year summarizing your donation activity with SafeBears.
Our Federal Tax ID is: 92-3541937. You might need that when preparing your taxes to show that we are a registered charity.
Please consult your tax professional about your specific situation if you have any questions.