San Jose/Evergreen Community College District Police Department addressed the dangers on campus and held a workshop at San Jose City College on March 2.

More than 200 assaults and thefts have been reported in the vicinity of campus since September, according to http://Crimereports.com.

SJCC’s safety workshop was to help students and faculty learn how to avoid dangers and offered valuable tips on safety. 

 Some might recall the incident that took place last September one afternoon when “a female student was assaulted on the second floor of the SJCC parking garage. 

The victim was walking to her car when an unknown suspect grabbed her sweatshirt from behind and swung her into a wall.  The suspect then grabbed her by the hips and pushed his body against hers.  The victim was able to push the suspect away and ran to her car.  The victim did not call District Police immediately, but instead contacted the San Jose Police Department about two hours,” Chief of Police Ray Aguirre announced on the SJECC district website.

  “Live life freely, but be aware; know your surroundings,” Ruben Chavez said, “Know what you’re going to do ahead of time in the event of an attack.”

 “With training, your brain will tell you what to do if attacked,” said black belt instructor Harry Padilla. Padilla demonstrated how the “hands, elbows, knees, feet,” are the eight most useful body parts in an attack.

 Officer Veronica Villanueva gave a presentation on identity theft prevention, saying that last year 11.1 million people in the United States became a victim of identity fraud.

 Villanueva demonstrated how prevalent the threat is, as she described how she nearly fell victim when her waiter took a snapshot of her credit card at a restaurant while she was paying.  

Villanueva also warns Facebook users to limit the informations they share about their daily lives, referring to a case in which the victim’s Facebook status let their neighbor know when their Facebook friend would be leaving, allowing ample time to rob their home. 

 “The desire to be proactive in ensuring campus safety,” prompted the district police to hold the workshop, Chavez said, “… we wanted to go the extra mile.” 

The district is planning to hold future workshops.

“College has a wealth of resources,” said Chavez, “that we hope students will utilize for their health and safety.”