In the early hours of Saturday morning, private security guards made their final patrols around the UC Berkeley campus as part of a two-and-a-half-week pilot program. This pilot program was funded by Safe Bears, a nonprofit made up mostly of Cal parents, who was able to raise $40,000 over several weeks to fund this effort.
The security pilot came after a group of Cal parents concerned about student safety decided to take action.
These private guards patrolled a span of several blocks around the university from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. from March 6 through March 23.
"It went really well, we brought in a total of six safety ambassadors, some were deployed on foot, some on bicycles," explained Sagar Jethani, the president of Safe Bears and a parent to two UC Berkeley students.
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Jethani said that he was among a group of parents who organized to found Safe Bears following a deadly shooting in Berkeley in October of 2022.
"One month after I dropped my kids off for school, a gun battle happened right outside their dorms, leaving one person dead," Jethani said.
The shooting left three other people hurt, though none of the people involved were Cal students, police said.
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After that shooting, the university temporarily hired private security guards to patrol the area.
Jethani said that Safe Bears would like to see the university provide that added security long-term.
Safe Bears contacted several private security vendors for this effort, ultimately hiring Streetplus for the job as they have an existing relationship with the city of Berkeley, Jethani said.
The guards in the pilot wore fluorescent yellow vests that said "Security" on the back and were supplied with radios that they could use to call other guards or police for backup.
Jethani that this program was modeled after the private security UC Berkeley provided after the 2022 shooting and ambassador programs at other universities, which is why the guards in the pilot were unarmed.
All of the guards have earned their California guard card and have been trained in things like verbal de-escalation and CPR, Jethani said.
"They provided escorts to students who need them, security escorts, they provided directions, they were also just a very visible deterrent to crime," Jethani said.
Emily Huang, a fourth-year student at UC Berkeley said she saw the guards around campus during the pilot.
"I think it’s definitely a good thing to have more security staff," she said.
MBA student Chenhao Yang said he hadn't seen the guards, but that he supports the idea behind the initiative.
"I think as an entire community as a whole, I think we can do a better job to make sure it’s safe for everybody around the area," he said.
UC Berkeley, which has its own campus police department and safety initiatives, did not respond to NBC Bay Area's request for comment.
Now that the pilot program is complete, Safe Bears plans to survey students about this pilot initiative, and then present their findings to the university administration. Jethani said he remains hopeful that more private security will be hired on campus in the future.
"The fact that we have so much positive feedback is really encouraging, and I hope the administration has been paying attention," Jethani said.
