Two incidents that occurred within a week of each other have sparked a discussion over the safety of Fresno City College’s open campus.
On March 5, an FCC student made a threat on Facebook. One week later, three burglars stole $180,000 worth of equipment.
The proximity of the two events led the college administration to hold an open forum to discuss campus security.
Before the forum was held, another burglary occurred on campus over the weekend.

FACEBOOK THREAT
Last week, campus police identified the FCC student who was suspended because of a threat made over Facebook as Daniel Watkins.
The threat by Watkins was posted on Facebook as a status update on March 5, State Center Community College Police Chief Joe Callahan said.
“Life’s dreams bring about the apocalypse/kill everyone. Backup plan become king of California, other backup plan, buy a sniper rifle and sit somewhere with a clear view and keep shooting until I either run out of ammo or until someone stops me,” Watkins posted.
A friend of Watkins saw the post and contacted the Fresno Police Department the following day to notify them, Callahan said.
Fresno Police met with Watkins at his home and interviewed him, but found that no specific threat had been made and no crime had been committed, Callahan said. During the course of their interview, they discovered that Watkins “studied at Fresno City College.”
Fresno Police then contacted FCC’s campus police on March 6 to inform them of their investigation. SCCCD Police began their investigation the following morning, interviewing Watkins separately.
“He said that he was depressed because he can’t find a job and can’t get classes at FCC,” Callahan said. Watkins also attempted suicide in November by taking 14 tablets of Benadryl. After the attempt, Watkins’ parents committed him to a psychiatric center, said Callahan.
During his interview with campus police, Watkins said that the Facebook status was meant as a joke and that he had no access to weapons. Following his meeting with Fresno Police officers, he realized the seriousness of the statement and deleted it from his page, Callahan said.
Watkins was then taken to campus where he met with Vice President of Student Services Dr. Christopher Villa. Watkins was suspended for the remainder of the spring semester. Villa said that Watkins was suspended because he violated two sections of the college’s student code of conduct.
In addition to the suspension, Watkins cannot enter district property without permission or he could be arrested, Callahan said. Callahan reiterated that Watkins’ status update was not made as a threat toward any particular person or the campus itself, despite rumors to the contrary.
PLANNING FOR DISASTER
The SCCCD Police Department has established protocols to deal with a litany of different disasters, threats or crimes committed that could harm the entire campus.
In the case of an active shooter, Callahan said that SCCCD Police will immediately respond and find a way to stop the shooter. This could include shooting the shooter or forcing the shooter to surrender, rather than waiting for a tactical team from the Fresno Police Department or the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Campus police would also place the campus on lockdown and alert students through 1st2know, a voluntary text messaging and email alert system.
“Only about 10,000 students of nearly 30,000 who attend City College have signed up,” Callahan said. “We need to push that a lot more.”
The district is also implementing a new telephone system, using Voice over Internet Provider (VoIP), which would allow police to send emergency notices using the phone as a public address system, Callahan said. Currently, Reedley College and Willow International have the phones fully implemented. FCC is in the process of placing phones into classrooms.
For other emergency situations, such as a bomb threat, SCCCD Police works with other departments in the area, such as the Fresno Police Department’s Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit.
“In 2008, we took an extensive look at our procedures, which was coupled with the Virginia Tech incident,” Callahan said. “And we re-evaluated how we respond.”
When asked for a copy of the different protocols, Callahan said that the department’s policy was to not fully release them to the public due to exposure.
TWO BURGLARIES
Just a week after Watkins posted his generalized threat on Facebook, three suspects broke into the Old Administration Building in the early hours of March 12 and stole roughly $180,000 worth of audio equipment.
One of the suspects, 46-year-old Vincent Hurley, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to Fresno County Jail in the early afternoon of March 21, FCC Spokeswoman Kathy Bonilla said. Jail records showed that Hurley was held on $135,000 bail.
Callahan said that the media exposure of the break-in, which included the release of surveillance photos and video, prompted a number of tips to be handed over to campus police, one of which led to Hurley’s arrest.
Six hours after being booked into Fresno County Jail, Hurley was released from the jail due to overcrowding. Two days after his stay at the Fresno County Jail, Hurley was reportedly seen on campus near the FCC gym, according to police logs. He was escorted off campus by a campus police officer.
The other two suspects in the burglary are still at-large and have not been identified by police.
Then on Sunday night, a Fresno City College Theater employee saw children riding their bicycles on the campus mall. Callahan said that it is believed that the kids pushed out a window plug and grabbed about $30 and some candy from the box office. Campus police are still investigating the burglary.
THEFT ON CAMPUS
Twelve thefts and/or burglaries were reported on campus during the month of March.
Here’s a listing:
March 1 – Petty Theft (Police Code 484)
March 2 – 3 Petty Thefts, 1 Burglary near FCC’s Utility Plant
March 5 – 5 Petty Thefts, 1 Burglary near FCC’s Utility Plan
March 21 – 1 Petty Theft
March 22 – Stolen staff keys near the social sciences building
In response to the growing concerns over safety on campus, FCC Interim President Tony Cantu, along with Callahan and SCCCD Vice Chancellor of Operations Brian Speece, held an open forum to discuss the emergency protocols, emergency communications, building security issues and emergency communications.
“As these things come up, there are issues that need to be addressed,” Cantu said in reference to both the burglary and Facebook threat. “But we no longer have the luxury of waiting until they come up.”