According to Sonoma State University’s crime logs, in the past two months, there have been 15 petty theft cases, and ten of them were suspended. Furthermore, many of the petty thefts and burglaries that happened during the evacuation when Kincade fires were burning have remained unsolved three months later.
Petty theft is defined by someone stealing under $950 of property or valuables, and burglary is illegal entry into a building to commit a crime, usually theft. Suspending the petty theft investigations means that SSU police are no longer actively working on the case.
“The fact that they’re no longer active is concerning…. It’s comforting to know that I can go to them with an issue but knowing that they can’t do anything based on the situation or that they don’t have the resources, and having to give up doesn’t help that feeling,” second-year Melinda Becker expressed.
When Sonoma State’s University Police Department was contacted by the Sonoma State STAR, they did not respond, so it’s unclear as to why the past petty thefts were suspended.
However, Chief David Dougherty disclosed in a previous interview with the Sonoma State STAR that, “UPD works very hard to establish and maintain positive relationships with the Sonoma State community. I personally interact with students, faculty, staff, and visitors to show them that the team at UPD is kind, friendly and competent.”
Unfortunately, according to the UPD’s crime log, out of the 30 burglary and petty thefts that happened during and around the time Sonoma State was evacuated due to the Kincade fires, only one of them has been closed so far. The majority remain open and unsolved almost three months later.
When second-year Joseph Lande-O’Malley, who lives and parks his car on campus, was asked his reaction if he fell victim to one of these petty thefts he explained, “I, unfortunately, worry that the police would not be as active in trying to solve who did it. I’d like to believe in the police, but based on the past, I don’t see myself getting special treatment in this matter.”
In the past 18 months, Sonoma State implemented different tactics to decrease crime on campus, such as the university police deploying an electric motorcycle to enhance patrol capabilities, appointing a detective on campus, and other strategic maneuvers. In the next 24 months, Sonoma State plans, among many things, to further train their officers for specific tasks and expand the Title IX internships.
Some of the safety tips given by UPD is to not park in dimly lit areas, and utilize blue police boxes that are on campus. As of Feb. 2, Sonoma State’s future safety plans do not include installing more lighting on campus or in parking lots, creating more blue police boxes, or putting more cameras around campus that could possibly help prevent these petty thefts.
“I’m concerned that my car could be one of the next victims of these petty thefts. More specifically, I am concerned about damage being done to my car by someone hoping to find something valuable in it,” Lande-O’Malley articulated.
There are some ways students can step up and help prevent petty theft from happening without relying too heavily on UPD and the University. A good resource is the SSU crime prevention page located at https://web.sonoma.edu/ps/crime_prevention.html. This page offers many tips such as not leaving valuables in plain sight in a car, and not letting strangers into student’s residences.
