A recent collaborative effort between Biola Campus Safety and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department resulted in the discovery of 22 stolen bicycles, a product of a longtime relationship between the two agencies as La Mirada crime shows some signs of slight downturn.

COLLABORATION COMBATS CRIME

After a student reported their bike stolen to Campus Safety, the department shared the information with the LASD, according to Chief John Ojeisekhoba of Campus Safety. He says the regular communication between the two entities has led to mutual benefit, with the report leading to the LASD recovering 22 bicycles from a theft suspect’s house.

“We have a very good partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” Ojeisekhoba said. “They share information with us, and we share information with them as well.”

The LASD posted their findings to Twitter on Aug. 31, encouraging members of the community to call in if they believe their bicycle to be among those recovered.

SERIAL BIKE THEFT INVESTIGATION. La Mirada SAO team and Biola University Campus Safety (@biolau) investigated a string of bike thefts. Working in conjunction with La Mirada detectives, they served a search warrant and recovered 22 bicycles worth thousands of dollars. Great job!! pic.twitter.com/cVpb9GHbsg

— LASD Norwalk Station (@NorwalkLASD) August 31, 2018

Ojeisekhoba also notes that some recent statistics of Biola-related crime in the Annual Security and Fire Log have shown the benefits of interdepartmental partnerships, as property crimes did not show a marked increase from 2016 to 2017.

“It’s not because you don’t have criminals out there trying,” Ojeisekhoba said. “It’s because of the collaborative efforts that we have internally and externally.”

Despite this, though, he acknowledges that the number of reported sexual assaults at Biola has increased from 2016 to 2017.

“We’re actually glad that students are coming forward to report incidents. It gives us the opportunity to work with other departments, Student Development, Title IX coordinator, to not only provide support, but also [to] look in each case reported,” Ojeisokhoba said.

LA MIRADA CRIME STATS SUGGEST FEWER INCIDENTS

City crime stats may also be revealing a positive shift. La Mirada has reported fewer incidents of crime than it did in mid-2017, according to LASD statistics.

In accordance with the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting guidelines, the LASD offers monthly and yearly crime statistics online, which allows users to compare the number of incidents in their city to the previous year’s reports. According to these statistics, the number of Part I crimes, which includes homicide, theft and aggravated assault, reported this year as of Aug. 19 has over 100 fewer incidents than in 2017’s first six months.

This comparative downturn comes in the wake of three successive years of slight increases, though the reason for the difference in number remains unclear.

As a part of its efforts to combat crime, Campus Safety has also launched some recent initiatives alongside other Biola departments including Student Development and Information Technology, according to Ojeisekhoba. With Campus Safety identifying the wall behind Hart Hall as an area frequently targeted by individuals with criminal intent, a barrier is scheduled to be raised and expanded in October. Campus Safety has additionally added multiple public address speakers on campus to be utilized in the event of a campus-wide emergency, and is in the final stages of testing a new app with IT that will allow students to contact Campus Safety with just a tap.