Cerritos College is seven weeks into the semester and there have already been four safety alerts issued on campus.

Two of them took place in restrooms, one was in the library, and the last one happened as a man bicycled across campus. Cerritos has its own police force, but where are they? With all of these safety issues happening in such a short amount of time, why hasn’t security noticeably increased?

I do not expect to see metal detectors and full body pat-downs; that would be unrealistic.

What I would like to see is officers walking around campus, checking in on classrooms and offices, inspecting the restrooms, and getting to know the students.

Usually I see the campus police in the parking lot in their cars, but only once have I seen them casually driving across campus.

The only other time I have seen the campus police on campus was when they were responding to an incident.

While showing face will not stop all safety incidents from happening, it would be a great reminder to those who are contemplating a crime that safety officials are present and are watching what goes on on campus.

There is always the possibility that their presence could make someone think twice about their decisions before the action is carried out.

At an educational institution, my number one priority should be attending class, studying, and fulfilling my transfer requirements.

Instead, my focus is on getting from the parking lot to class and back as quickly as possible and staying alert of my surroundings. I do not even think about going to the bathroom; I consider those areas to be off limits.

This is my 6th and final semester at Cerritos and I have never felt as unsafe as I do now.

During three of my semesters here I took multiple night classes that were not over until 9:50 p.m. and I was much less cautious and aware of my surroundings then, while walking to my car in the dark of the night, than I am now during the middle of the day.

It would bring a great peace of mind to me to know that on a public campus with over 21,000 students those who are here to protect and serve are trying their best to protect us, even though the student population and faculty greatly outnumber the Cerritos College Campus Police.