LAPD officers responded to a Campus Safety request for assistance in serving a warning to an individual staying in an RV near 1700 Campus Rd. The individual has trespassed on Occidental’s campus multiple times this semester, according to Director of Campus Safety Rick Tanksley.
Tanksley sent out a campus-wide email advising community members to stay clear of the area at 11:28 a.m., Oct. 4.
“LAPD is responding to the area of 1700 Campus Road seeking to speak to a subject who is refusing to come out of his camper. Currently there is no danger to our campus and you free to go about your business, however, everyone should stay clear of the area until the police have completed their work (sic).”
Tanksley confirmed that the subject in question has trespassed on campus multiple times this semester, and that Campus Safety believes he is the owner of the RV permanently parked just outside the border of Occidental’s open campus.
“The police activity from earlier today did involve the person who we think resides in the camper parked near campus on Campus Road,” Tanksley said. “That person has been seen on campus numerous times. We contacted the police for assistance in warning the person again that he was not allowed on campus. The subject refused to acknowledge the police and for whatever reason a helicopter also responded.”
The crowdsourced community app Citizen falsely alerted members of the surrounding neighborhood that LAPD was responding to a robbery suspect. The app, launched in LA in March 2019, is designed to gather data from community sources to keep the public informed.
This escalation of response from Campus Safety and the LAPD comes only weeks after Campus Safety responded to a tip that another suspicious individual was trespassing on campus, harassing female students.
The Occidental has reached out to LAPD for comment.
