Join 1,600+ Cal parents as we make UC Berkeley safer for our Bears
Why SafeBears?
Cal parents often experience an emotional roller coaster: first comes the thrill of having your child choose an incredible institution like UC Berkeley, then comes the worry that life at Cal is not as safe as it should be.
Violent crime in Berkeley is at a 10-year high. Students are being robbed at gunpoint, threatened by intruders entering their dormitories, and more. The administration and City of Berkeley have tried to make life safer for our kids, but they are accustomed to working with longer timeframes and do not share our urgency.
That’s why we started SafeBears. Working together, Cal parents have the energy and determination to make meaningful changes now.
Join our Global Community
Join 1,600+ parents of UC Berkeley students around the world. Wherever you are, you’re part of the solution, and you can help make Cal safer for students.
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Our Priorities
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Visible security presence
Cal must get serious about crime and public disorder on and near campus. Due to a shortage of UCPD sworn officers that will take years to remedy, we are working to increase the visible security presence immediately with non-sworn personnel, such as private security, a reserve officer program, and more student and full-time UCPD non-sworn officers.
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Fences around student housing
Intruders continue to enter residence halls with distressing frequency. We are advocating for security fencing as part of a multi-pronged strategy to keep students safe in their university-provided homes.
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Expanded hours for dorm security
Residence hall security has improved with more student lobby monitors and student service officers on the job after dark. We are pressing for significantly expanded coverage, as experience shows that not all trespasses occur at night.
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Safety ambassadors
While we are currently focused on getting more boots on the ground to provide a visible security presence, we continue to advocate for a permanent program of full-time safety ambassadors modeled after the USC “yellow jackets.”
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Discounted rideshares after dark
Discounted rideshares after dark is a popular student request. We agree that Cal should adopt this commonsense measure already in place at schools like UC San Diego and USC.
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Better use of security cameras
Cal’s video camera footage is only reviewed after a crime occurs. We want more cameras around campus with realtime monitoring to stop crime before it happens, particularly at the entrances to student housing.
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A dedicated security fund
UC Berkeley regularly solicits donations for a number of worthy causes. We’re pressing the administration to create and promote a dedicated security fund to which parents and others can contribute.
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Better lighting where students live
We are asking UC Berkeley to conduct a comprehensive lighting study, as many campus areas and university properties are dangerously dark at night. We also want a better system to quickly identify and fix broken lights.
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Safety training for students
Cal must do more to train students on how to keep safe, not just during freshman year but throughout their college experience. All too often, students do not receive or absorb fundamental knowledge, such as whether they can call 911 on campus property. (YES!)
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead
FAQs
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Since August 2022, there has been a significant increase in violent crime in and around UC Berkeley, including—
multiple shootings within feet of University housing resulting in one death
multiple students have been robbed with semi-automatic rifles
a student was stabbed while walking on Bancroft Avenue
intruders have repeatedly gained access to student housing
—and more. In March 2023, Berkeley Police Chief Jen Louis reported that the overall number of violent and property crimes in 2022 was at a 10-year high. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin describes crime around UC Berkeley as “extremely concerning and troubling.”
Crimes rates continue to climb. As of October 2023, robberies, increasingly via gun, are up 22 % compared to the same period last year.
Students are even voicing their concerns to the media, saying UC Berkeley is “definitely less safe than other campuses.”
For more information on crime at Cal and the status of our work to make Cal safer, see our Fall ‘23 Update.
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Part of what we do is hold UC Berkeley accountable for the safety promises it has made to students and their families — promises that too often have been broken. In the ‘22-’23 academic year, UC Berkeley was failing to provide basic safety programs found at most large universities — such as reliable nighttime shuttles and dormitory lobby monitors. Due in part to our advocacy, all three night safety shuttles are now in service, and student residence halls are better protected after dark with lobby monitors and/or roaming foot patrols.
We are in close contact with campus administration, meeting and emailing with staff regularly to gather information and monitor developments. We also study safety best practices at other universities and advocate for additional safety programs at Cal — like discounted rideshares and security fencing around student housing.
We have found that, unfortunately, UC Berkeley does not have an administrator with overall responsibility for campus safety. The university’s safety infrastructure is fragmented among multiple departments, each with many other, non-safety responsibilities. This makes it difficult for student safety to be the priority that it should be.
Above all, we are your voice for student safety at UC Berkeley. But we can’t do it without you.
Have a question or want to help? Contact us here.
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Ensuring UCPD is fully staffed and supported by the University
Implementing private security patrols until UCPD staffing crisis is solved
Building secured access around all student dormitories to stop intruders from gaining access
Expanding coverage hours for dorm security personnel
Discounted ridesharing options for students, akin to UC San Diego
Creating a dedicated fund where donors can support safety improvements in & around campus
Improving the WarnMe alert system — so that alerts arrive more quickly & with more information
Better lighting on and around campus
Realtime monitoring of security cameras in sensitive areas such as dorm entrances
Better student safety training throughout their college experience
Creating a permanent program of full-time safety ambassadors on and around campus.
For more information on crime at Cal and the status of our work, see our Fall ‘23 Safety Update.
Get all of our latest updates here.
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We are parents of current and recent UC Berkeley students who are working together to make Cal safer. We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We’re holding UC administrators and members of local government accountable to making the changes we need.
We work with a variety of partners within the University, UCPD, local businesses, and parent safety organizations at other universities around the country. Join Us!
Click for our Fall ‘23 Safety Update.
Click for all of our latest updates.
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While we are primarily a parent organization, we do welcome Cal affiliates as well as members of the greater Berkeley community who are interested in improving safety at UC Berkeley and in the city as a whole. We often engage with allies who are not Cal parents. To work on our specific safety measures, however, we will generally require you to be a parent or guardian of a current or recent UC Berkeley student.
Whether you are a Cal parent, a Cal affiliate or alum, or a member of the community who is affected by rising crime in Berkeley, we would love to hear from you. Get in touch with us here.
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Join us!
Together we can make UC Berkeley safer for students.