COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS : Crimes Raise Security Concerns

In the wake of two sex-related crimes and an armed robbery on the campus during a one-month period, College of the Canyons officials are considering bicycle patrols and other measures to beef up security, administrators said.

“This is usually such a quiet campus,” said Sue Bozman, public information officer for the Santa Clarita Valley school. “Three incidents in a matter of a month is very rare for us.”

The first occurred March 18 about 6:30 a.m. when a man exposed himself to a group of students in the women’s locker room of the physical education building.

On April 1, a man trapped a 20-year-old female student inside a women’s restroom about 5 p.m. and attempted to assault her, officials said. Bozman said the man turned out the lights from outside the restroom after the woman had entered, went inside and blocked the door.

“She heard the door close and called out,” Bozman said. When the student received no answer, she tried to find her way out. The man grabbed her and she began screaming, Bozman said.

“Apparently, he kept telling her to be quiet and, of course, she did the opposite,” Bozman said. “They tumbled out of the door and he ran down the stairs. She chased him, but lost him on the ground floor.”

The robbery occurred April 17 when two men in a car drove along two women pushing infants in strollers in a campus parking lot, Bozman said. The women had been attending a class on campus.

The driver asked what kind of place the college was, authorities said, and the victim stopped to tell him they were at a college. The other woman continued on her way.

“The passenger opened up the door,” Bozman said. “He was pointing a gun at her. They demanded her purse. She handed it to them and they sped away toward the freeway.”

As a result of the incidents, campus officials are considering new security measures, including bicycle patrols.

“You can get from one place to another faster and be a lot more visible on a bicycle,” said Cal Allsup, who as director of facilities oversees security on campus.

The college is trying to recruit a full-time security supervisor, Bozman said, but the search was not prompted by the recent crimes.