Calling all criminals in San Jose: you better watch your next move.

The popular TV show, COPS, began to cruise along with officers of the San Jose Police Department on April 15, and plans to follow the action for the next 10 weeks. The show’s film crew will be focusing on the Midnight and Swing shifts, so law-breakers should best avoid doing anything illegal during those time-frames so as not to get a target–or perhaps a camera lens– on their backs.

According to sophomore Adam Gobble, one benefit of the show coming to our city is that “the cops will actually do something for once, for the cameras.”

In all seriousness, this TV arrangement might be a reason to take pause. Anthony Hirano, sophomore, commented, “I think it’s cool because we’ll see our town on TV, and maybe even people we know. But it goes to show how bad San Jose is becoming.”

It’s true. Aside from giving San Jose’s bad boys a bad edit on national TV, the show’s filming and eventual airing in households across the country is bound to put a microscope on the increasing prevalence of violent crime in San Jose, among lower offenses such as DUIs and misdemeanors.

The television cameras’ arrival in San Jose was promptly followed by an incident of violent crime that hit close on the map to Lincoln. Early Sunday morning, four people were stabbed on the streets of downtown San Jose following an alleged bar fight at SP2 Communal Bar and Restaurant in San Pedro Square, a popular community destination for restaurants and nightlife. The victims, who sustained non-life threatening injuries, were taken to area hospitals. Police did not make any immediate arrests after the incident, meaning the culprit is still out there somewhere.

Those violent stabbings at the Square can be taken as a reflection of San Jose’s rising crime rates. The city recorded 44 homicides in 2013, following a count of 46 in 2012 and 42 in 2011. These rates are out of the ordinary for San Jose, which ranked from the years 2001-2006 as the safest big city in the country. And it’s definitely a spike; in 2010 the city saw a significantly fewer 20 homicides.

In the three-year period from 2011 onward, SJPD and innocent residents have also faced increases in burglaries, car thefts, and other crimes that threaten public safety.

Are San Jose’s young people, particularly students at Lincoln, still safe in their own hometown, with this upward trend in crime? Evidently, the answer is a mixed bag that depends on factors like frequent exposure to tough areas, mode of transportation, and ability to use self-defense.

Lion Tales interviewed Officer Rick, the on-campus police officer who works to keep Lincoln safe, about what students can do to optimize their safety. He said, “Right now, downtown has not been very safe. I would recommend avoiding downtown. To go and just hang out there, I don’t recommend it. If you are going to do it, it’s best to go in numbers, and be aware of your surroundings.”

Officer Rick advised students to “be home at a certain hour” and to avoid being caught hanging around the tough areas in the cover of night time, as darkness provides easier opportunities for a surprise attack.

According to Rick, people’s own actions and choices of transportation affect the likelihood of a crime being committed against them. He said, “being in a car, less things are likely to happen to you than if you’re walking, because you’re able to move more quickly.” However, he acknowledged that, being teenagers, Lincoln students might not have that option to use a car for transportation.

As for students who find themselves walking from place to place much of the time, Officer Rick commented, “A lot of people will have their headphones in, and not realize what is happening until it’s too late. Also, having expensive things in your hand, like an iPhone, makes you more of a target to get robbed.”

When Lincoln students were asked how they cope with the possibility of crime in Downtown San Jose, Gobble responded, “Yeah, I roller-blade around downtown all day, every day. It’s fine,” while Hirano said, “I just try to avoid the homeless people and the worst areas the best I can.”

The violence, the crime, and the constant spotlight on San Jose’s police force all may be at a spike these days, but in the end it’s up to individuals to keep themselves out of harm’s wrathful way.

For further reading:

Homicides Top 40 for Third Straight Year

‘Cops’ TV Show to Come to San Jose

Official Crime Statistics