Parents hire private security to protect UC Berkeley students after police department budget cuts



A group of parents with children enrolled at the University of California Berkeley recently took safety measures into their own hands by hiring private security guards amid a spike in crime near the campus, KPIX-TV reported.

A coalition of parents called SafeBears raised $40,000 last year to launch a three-week pilot program from March 6 to 23, 2024. The program hired six "safety ambassadors" to patrol the UC Berkeley campus from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.

The safety ambassadors, who are unarmed, will patrol the campus on foot and by bicycle. According to SafeBears, the security guards have received CPR and de-escalation training.

SafeBears president Sagar Jethani wrote on Facebook, "They are a great group of folks. They're all from the East Bay/SF area, so they understand what's happening with crime in Berkeley."

"They are looking forward to meeting students and making them feel safe at night," Jethani stated.

According to the group, the security guards "will not enter university property" but "stick to public areas, including public streets and sidewalks."

Jethani told KABC, "They are not carrying any kind of defensive gear. They don't carry pepper spray, batons, or handcuffs."

In comments to KPIX, Jethani said that he wants the pilot program to "turn up the heat" on the administration and push it to enact greater safety measures.

"We want to show that we're not content to just wait forever to have these safety ambassadors deployed," he said.

SafeBears explained that the security guards' role is to "provide a physical deterrence to any threats against students."

"If they encounter a situation they feel is escalating, they are equipped with radios and can call for other ambassadors to assist. They also have a contact at Berkeley Police Department in the event the situation turns more serious," the group stated.

The parental coalition was formed last year amid concerns about student safety. According to the group, the University of California Police Department is struggling with reduced staffing and budget cuts.

"UC Berkeley has cut funding for UCPD every year since 2018," SafeBears said. "In that same period, nearly every other UC school has increased funding over 2018 levels."

The group claimed the department's budget last fall was "14% lower than it was in 2018."

Since then, the university has hired 10 additional officers; however, SafeBears noted that the department is still short-staffed.

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín (D) cut law enforcement's budget by over $9 million in 2020, the New York Post reported.

Once the private security guard pilot program concludes, the parents hope the university will opt to take over and continue the program.

Safe Bears: UC Berkeley parents hire private security group to make students safer youtu.be

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Mom of Philadelphia college student hires private security to patrol streets, protect students amid soaring violent crime



A Temple University mother took her son's protection into her own hands recently by hiring private security to patrol the streets near where he lives as violent crime in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, continues to soar.

What are the details?

Jennifer Hedberg told WTXF-TV last week that after prayerful consideration, she and her husband decided to hire JNS Protection Services, a private security firm, to secure the neighborhood. Now, five days a week, the security detail executes foot and car patrols to make sure the area is safe for students.

"It helps with peace of mind and I feel like if anything ever did happen to him, at least I’ll know I did everything I could," Hedberg explained to the outlet. "I really get frustrated with prayer hand emojis and all I can do is pray and hope he’s okay. I do those things, but I also needed to do some kind of action."

The concerned parent said she wanted to do everything she could to keep her son safe after the tragic death of fellow Temple University student, 21-year-old Samuel Collington, last fall.

Collington had been unloading his vehicle upon returning from a Thanksgiving break spent with his family when he was shot and killed in broad daylight by an armed burglar. The killer had been charged with armed carjacking months before, but his case was dropped by the city's progressive district attorney.

"As the weeks and months went by, my son was reporting to me that there were still pretty serious crimes happening in his neighborhood," Hedberg recalled. "My husband and I put our heads together and decided let’s see if we can get private security."

That's when she connected with JNS Protection Services and asked the firm to conduct patrols in areas near campus where many students live. Hedberg insisted she is not trying to step on the toes of campus safety or local police. Rather, she only wants to add an extra layer of security.

What else?

In an opinion piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist Jenice Armstrong defended Hedberg's decision, noting that last year, Philadelphia experienced all-time highs in homicides and this year, the numbers are on pace to rise again.

Armstrong noted that only a few weeks before Collington's death, another young man, 18-year-old Amir Jones, was killed in a robbery while walking with his girlfriend early one morning near Temple's campus.

The columnist added that this isn't an upper-class helicopter parent situation — the Hedbergs are middle-class parents justifiably concerned for their child's safety. Hedberg reportedly works as a teacher while her husband is employed as a field technician for T-Mobile in suburban Massachusetts.

Now, other parents are joining in on the effort. Armstrong said the plan was initially to have JNS patrol the neighborhoods three days a week. But when other parents heard about the plan, they stepped in to expand the patrols to five days a week.

JNS CEO Jasmine Jackson told the Inquirer, "These parents need to be able to be [hundreds] of miles away from their child and know that they are going to be able to get home safe. We ride around that perimeter, all throughout the blocks, take pictures and make reports, and just be a deterrent."

Hedberg plans to keep funding the operation until her son's graduation this spring, at which point other parents have vowed to take over the effort.

Rep. Cori Bush, who wants to 'defund the police,' keeps spending campaign cash on private security



Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, who advocates for defunding the police, has spent almost $65,000 for private security services during the prior few months, campaign filings reveal, according to Fox News.

The freshman lawmaker's campaign shelled out $64,141.26 for private security between the beginning of July and late September, the outlet reported, citing Federal Election Commission records.

The outlet had previously reported that her campaign spent more than $69,000 on private security over a period of time earlier this year. She passionately defended that spending during an August CBSN interview, noting that she receives death threats.

Bush said that she will "make sure I have security because I know I have had attempts on my life," adding that she has "too much work to do, there are too many people that need help right now for" her to permit that.

"We need to defund the police and put that money into social safety nets because we're trying to save lives," she said.

The concept of defunding police represents an area of significant contention around the U.S.

"Oh I will protect me but not the regular people. Disgusting," someone wrote in response to a tweet linking to the Fox News report that the congresswoman's campaign has spent even more money on private security.

"So someone getting death threats due to her political positions protects herself is a problem?" another tweet asked.

Cori Bush explains her “defund the police" position www.youtube.com