UPD holds community discussion

By Matthew Gonzalez STAFF WRITER

San Jose State’s University Police Department (UPD) held an open forum conversation in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on Monday, discussing recent crime trends and answering questions from the SJSU community.

UPD Chief Michael Carroll said the event focused on providing a space for people to see the work the UPD is doing while also being able to voice any concerns SJSU community members had.

“We really thrive on trying to build relationships and foster wholesome relationships that can help us identify sustainable solutions to our campus safety,” Carroll said.

UPD Capt. Frank Belcastro said a common theme he has seen with incidents on campus is the prolific presence of drugs, specifically crack.

“It looks like crack is making an appearance again because this is the second case where we’ve gotten crack on an individual, so it looks like it’s coming back.” Belcastro said.

Along with drugs, weapons are prevalent on campus, according to Belcastro.

Belcastro said a laundry list of drugs was often accompanied by the possession of at least one gun, knife or other form of