Second Sexual Assault Prompts Delta College To Increase Security
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Cops are stepping up security at San Joaquin Delta College after a series of crimes in the past two weeks, including a sexual assault on Monday.
Norma Rease works at the college in Stockton. She's aware of the two recent sexual assaults this month.
"I am definitely concerned for my safety at Delta," she said.
The latest assault happened Monday, when a female student was accosted by a man who approached her from behind as she closed the trunk of her car. He bent her over the trunk of the car, groped her breast with one hand and attempted to lift her skirt with the other.
The victim was able to kick and elbow the suspect, who slipped away to the nearby Target. Nobody has been arrested. The assault happened in an area that wasn't covered by video surveillance at the time.
"There is only so much [law enforcement] can do," Rease said.
Delta College officer Jim Bock says because it's an open campus, anyone can walk through.
"That is one of the most difficult aspects of being an officer at a college," he said. "We can't just approach somebody that doesn't look like they belong."
But now police are trying to get creative. They're beefing up patrols and introducing a new app called MyForce, where students can send an immediate report to dispatch with their phones when they feel threatened on campus. Police can locate them through GPS.
They are also making use of undercover staff on campus.
"They blend in a lot easier. They walk through the stairwells with their backpacks, and even sit in the classroom," Bock said.
Campus officials say they have about 130 cameras throughout the campus, but will need another 20 to feel a lot more secure.
