Author: Sam van Buren
At approximately 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 17, a car approached All Star Lanes bowling alley, and a passenger fired multiple shots from a semi-automatic handgun toward a crowd of people at the front door, according to 89.3 KPCC. The suspects then fled south on Eagle Rock Blvd. Three people were wounded and treated at a nearby hospital. Witnesses at the scene were reportedly uncooperative, according to police. The motive is believed to be gang related.
Immediately after the shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Northeast Division informed the Occidental Campus Safety dispatcher of the recent activity, who then informed the on-duty Campus Safety officers.
While there was no subsequent use of the alert systems that can contact the whole student body by phone and/or email, the Campus Safety report filed for the night of Feb. 17 noted that there was heavy LAPD activity in the Eagle Rock area and no need for its use.
“At no time was there any danger to the Oxy community,” the Campus Safety report said.
Director of Campus Safety Holly Nieto explained that collaboration with LAPD in this fashion is not unusual. “We have a great working relationship with the LAPD northeast division, a symbiotic relationship, and they often stop by to exchange information or alert us of any activity in the area,” Nieto said.
On the night of the shooting, LAPD kept Campus Safety updated on current progress, so the officers could gauge the situation.
After a safety concern, like the recent shooting, arises in the area immediately surrounding campus, Campus Safety assesses any imminent threat to the campus itself and the immediate escort zone, where a majority of off-campus students live.
“We always have to be mindful that, although the campus enjoys a park-like setting, we are situated in a major metropolitan area,” Nieto said. “The campus is located in the Northeast Division of the LAPD. Historically, our division has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire city.”
While Nieto says the crime rates in Eagle Rock are comparatively low, there have been a number of recent crimes reported on campus.
On Feb. 15, Campus Safety received a report around 9:29 p.m. that a man had followed a student to Braun Hall before exposing himself to her.
In addition, on Feb. 11 at both 1:37 p.m. and 2:40 p.m., there were reported break-ins to student vehicles on-campus. The first took place outside Bell-Young Hall, resulting in almost $900 in stolen property.
“The glove box was ransacked and all personal property left in plain view on the seat and the interior of the vehicle was taken,” the Campus Safety report said.
The second car, parked outside Haines hall, suffered similar damages while no valuables were taken from the car.
“Once inside, the suspect(s) attempted to remove the after market stereo but were unsuccessful, then fled the area,” the Campus Safety report said.
While neither report suggested correlation between the two break-ins, subsequent reports have indicated that extra precaution is being taken by officers in the wake of these recent incidents.
“Due to recent criminal activity on campus (bike thefts, auto burglaries and indecent exposures) I decided to make contact with the subject,” a recent Campus Safety report said, describing the rationale taken by an Officer before approaching a different subject outside of Erdman Hall.
While large universities, like the University of Southern California (USC), maintain police departments with big budgets and guns, colleges the size of Occidental have hired civilian security and no guns. Campus Safety officers are employees of Occidental College and in this regard they acts as ambassadors for the school according to Nieto.
“We are genuinely concerned about the safety of students and the security of property. We engage in high visibility patrolling and are looking for any suspicious activity,” Nieto said.
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