Thanks to a grant from the Office of Criminal Justice, Bear Creek will receive $216,633 to increase the safety and security on campus next year. Bear Creek was chosen to receive this grant money because of its gang issues, ethnic diversity, number of disadvantaged students, severe overcrowding, and number of student suspensions. The grant will allow a number of changes to be made at Bear Creek. Five community liaisons will be hired to work after school hours. Two more campus supervisors will help monitor the locker rooms and restrooms. Photo ID software will produce ID badges for students and faculty. Video surveillance software will control and monitor the new video surveillance system, complete with six pan/zoom/tilt cameras and 10 fixed cameras. These cameras will monitor the parking lot, bike racks, Julia Morgan pathway, entrances to the Q building restrooms, and the perimeter of the school, and will monitor and record in color, even in low light. Interim Principal Dave Hurley estimates that the equipment will be ready for use next school year. "These things take longer than they initially intend," Hurley said. The School Safety Program has three goals. The first goal is "to incorporate family services into both community and school programs for ethnically diverse students, parents and community members." Community liaisons will work with the three Asian groups and the Hispanic populations on campus. A partnership has been created with Lao Family Community Inc. to reduce crime inside the Asian community. A counselor from the company will provide counseling and support to Southeast Asian students and parents. The second goal is to immediately intervene in problem situations and to use all resources in the community to enforce behavior. Installing surveillance equipment and mandatory ID badges are two strategies to help reach this goal. The surveillance equipment will decrease crimes such as vandalism. The ID badges will allow administration to identify who belongs on campus and who is involved in fights. Hurley said that next year students will not be required to wear their badges. Instead, they must keep one badge with them at all times and another badge in a pocket in their student planners. The third goal is "to promote understanding and appreciation for diversity while providing anti-violence strategies." The Conflict Mediation, SPIRIT (Student Problem Identification, Resolving It Together) and Link Crew programs will be expanded as Bear Creek's population expands. Conflict Mediation will be available five periods a day to help students cope with conflicts that may have otherwise become fights. SPIRIT is a program wherein students talk with the principal and others about problems they see on campus and how to resolve those problems. The Link Crew program helps new freshmen adapt to high school. Upperclassmen meet with freshman English classes each quarter and work with advisers to follow the progress of freshmen who are having a hard time making the transition to high school. Many factors contributed to Bear Creek's receiving this grant. Bear Creek's population has increased 15 percent over the last two years and has a population of over 2,500 although it was built for 1,900 students. Overcrowding is one reason for increased crime. Because Bear Creek is so ethnically diverse, problems may arise between students of different races. These conflicts can escalate into fights that threaten the safety of other students. By providing counseling for students, some of these conflicts may be peacefully resolved, and relations between students of different races may be improved. Although Bear Creek qualified to receive this grant to decrease violence, a survey by the California Department of Education shows that much of Bear Creek's crime is decreasing. However, the number of alcohol and drug related offenses have increased from 8.94 offenses per 1,000 students to 12.76 offenses per 1,000 students. Hurley said that the number of alcohol and drug related offenses has skyrocketed this year. "The number of cases is rising exponentially," Hurley said. The number of batteries have increased from 2.03 offenses per 1,000 students to 9.85 per 1,000 students. All other types of crimes, including vandalism and violent crimes, have decreased. Although Bear Creek's crime rate is decreasing, crime in California high schools is increasing. Proposition 21, the Youth Crime Initiative, is an attempt to lower youth crime in California. Among other things, Proposition 21 requires that youth 16 and older who commit certain crimes be automatically tried in adult court without prior review in the juvenile system, and makes gang-related murder punishable by the death penalty. Stockton Police Chief Ed Chavez believes that Proposition 21 was an unnecessary step. "Proposition 21 was an overreaction to the perception we have throughout the state in relation to youth crime and violence," Chavez said. "Some facets of the proposition would be beneficial, but some are overreacting in terms of how we deal with young people." Potentially, more youth could be put in jail because of this proposition. If a youth is institutionalized, the chances are greater that he will learn to commit crimes better, Chavez said. He said the California Youth Authority has programs that may benefit youth better than being incarcerated. "Proposition 21 is a broad brush approach to youth crimes," Chavez said. "We should look at people who are involved in crime on a case by case basis and develop specific ways to deal with issues and problems. Young people involved in crime are getting arrested instead of getting help." When dealing with juvenile crime, Chavez believes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. "In the long term, it's more efficient to prevent and intervene," Chavez said. "Keeping our young people out of the criminal justice system will pay off in the long run. If you shovel them through the system, it becomes more costly and difficult to turn them around."