Central Arizona College has released the annual crime report for 2018. Across all CAC campuses crime is down, but some arrests were still made. Police Chief Greg Roberts stated in his address to the public, “Realistically, no town or city, large or small, can be free of all crime. The same is true for institutions of higher education.”

Most of the reported crimes and arrests occurred on the Signal Peak campus with almost no crimes on other campuses. The reported crimes included:

There was a total of 8 arrests and 22 disciplinary referrals. The arrests all occurred on Signal Peak Campus: 4 were for weapon violations, 3 for drug violations, and 1 for an alcohol violation.

Police Chief Greg Roberts stated in an interview, “I am pleased with the progress that the CACPD has made over the past year, especially compared to other junior colleges.  Of course, we are always looking to continue to improve and drive those numbers lower, but overall, I think we have made great strides. I am proud of all the hard work this department has put in to ensure the safety of the students. Currently, the services that our officers provide are some of the best compared to other community colleges in the state.”

Chief Roberts also stated, “The main goal of the CACPD is to ensure the safety of the students and staff. To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to build strong relationships with not only the staff and students, but also the community. I want students to understand that this department is constantly working to improve the safety of CAC. We have made great improvements, but we are not stopping at this point. There are plans to continue making changes, such as adding more blue towers, installing more lighting, and bringing on more officers.”

The CACPD has made many changes this past year which have been instrumental in bringing down crime rates. Some of the changes include adding more lighting, hiring more officers to cover the busiest time of day, and even installing Blue Towers. These towers are located all over campus and have a single button which dials the police. On Signal Peak Campus, they dial CACPD. At Superstition Mountain, Apache Junction Police Department receives the call. The towers on Maricopa Campus dial 911.  Both Aravaipa and San Tan towers dial Pinal County Police Department.

These reports are helpful for students, as they can stay safe. Chief Roberts stated, “The number one best tip I can give to students is to have situational awareness. This means you should always know your surroundings, who is in the area, what places are safe, and what is the best way to get ahold of the police in event of an emergency.”

Other safety tips can be found online in the article, “Tips from the Central Arizona College Police” written by Greg Roberts.