The recent nine MacBook thefts on Biola’s campus are not indicative of larger trends in the local community which reveal a steady decrease in crime.
Over the past 10 years, La Mirada has seen a 36 percent drop in major crimes including homicides, rapes, assaults and burglaries, according to city-data.com.
La Mirada and Norwalk drop in crime rate
La Mirada is in the same law enforcement district as the nearby town of Norwalk, and it too has seen a reduction in crime. Tony Mendoza, a Norwalk assembly member, stated at the Oct. 18 city council meeting that Norwalk has recently seen the most significant decrease in crime of the local townships.
In 2010, there were 4,205 fewer incidents handled than in 1996 despite an increase of more than 6,000 people in the townships of La Mirada and Norwalk, according to the crime and arrest stats from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“Lower crime rates are a testament to the great job LA County Sheriff Department is doing,” Mendoza said.
The Norwalk Sheriff’s Department is under the LA County Sheriff and has a substation in La Mirada.
Capus Safety works to do their part
Campus Safety at Biola has special authorization under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Under the memorandum, Campus Safety’s jurisdiction includes the authority to arrest individuals for all crimes committed on Biola property.
Law enforcement, public safety and emergency response are the department’s primary purposes according to Campus Safety’s 2011 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
While Shelby stated that Biola’s campus is a safe place for students, he also understands that crimes at Biola are generally property related and seem to increase toward the end of each semester.
Senior music major Toshiro Saito says that after his MacBook recently disappeared, he has felt the need to keep a closer eye on his possessions, but all in all he feels safe on Biola’s campus.
While other students have also made note of the recent thefts, not all of them are taking extra precautions.
Junior film major Zachary Perez recalled that he was surprised when recently, “There was a girl sitting [at the table behind me], I didn’t know her at all, and she got up and was like ‘Hey, can you watch my stuff while I go?’”
Variations of crime on campus
Shelby attributed some of the laptop thefts to unlocked dorm rooms and unattended laptops in dorm hall lobbies and the Library. Serving as an officer and a Sergeant on Biola’s campus since 2001, Shelby has seen the rates in criminal offenses steadily decrease on Biola’s campus.
In 2010, there were 44 drug and liquor law violations on the Biola campus, revealing a nearly 28 percent increase since 2005. However, overall criminal offenses on campus have decreased by 97.2 percent, bringing aggravated assault to zero percent in 2010. Burglary accounts since 2006 have also decreased from 10 accounts on campus to zero in 2010. Despite expected increase in theft crimes during this time in the semester, statistics show a decrease in criminal offenses involving burglary despite recent laptop incidents.
“Criminals know that there’s easier pickings on college campuses towards the close of each semester because students are more distracted with things like finals and traveling. This all creates more opportunities for thieves,” Shelby said.
