UC Santa Cruz Police Department

10/21/2026

Possible Arson on Campus:

Yesterday at about 3:45pm we received a numerous 911 calls of a wildfire between McHenry Library and the Academic Resources Center. The Santa Cruz Fire Department was dispatched and extinguished the fire, which was about 20X20 feet in size, in a matter of minutes. Due to their quick response the fire did not spread to any buildings and resulted in no reported injuries.

While emergency responders were dealing with the initial fire, we received more 911 calls about twenty minutes later for a fire at Porter College near Lot 125. That fire was reportedly extinguished by students with water bottles before SCFD responded.

The incidents are currently being investigated as a potential arson by our department. Anyone with any information is encouraged to call UCPD at (831) 459-2231.

10/08/2026

Thank you Santa Cruz Police for inviting us to this fun event!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Coffee With A Cop at Ivéta Westside this morning. Sharing conversations and building connections is exactly what Coffee With A Cop is made for.

10/05/2026

We hope to see you tomorrow, with our good friends at the Santa Cruz Police Department, at the Coffee With A Cop event at Ivéta Westside at 2125 Delaware Ave from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.!

10/01/2026

Join us next Tuesday (October 6th) at Iveta Westside for free coffee and conversation with our friends at Santa Cruz Police Department. We look forward to seeing you there!

09/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our UCSC PD booth at Cornucopia yesterday for some delicious ice cream! It was great meeting all of you and sharing a sweet treat together. We hope you had fun at the event and we look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming school year.

09/11/2026

9/11 Remembered

Today we went to Holy Cross School to remember the fallen 1st Responders of 9/11. They have been commemorating this date for the past twenty-five years with their “Cookies for Courage” event. They thank all of our local 1st Responders for their service and provide attendees with cookies to bring back to their respective agencies. We thank Holy Cross School for their continued support, and remembrance, after all of these years.

08/18/2026

Stolen Bike Recovered!

Last week one of our UCSC students, who is staying on campus for the summer, reported their locked bicycle had been stolen from Stevenson College. The bicycle had an AirTag on it when it was taken and the AirTag showed it was in the area near Coral Street. Officers responded to the scene, with the bike owner, and tracked the location of the AirTag as it moved up the San Lorenzo River levy footpath.

The AirTag finally stopped moving near San Lorenzo Park and UCSC Officers contacted Rudy Hernandez Salas (64), who was in possession of the stolen bike. He claimed he was holding it for some unidentified person and had no idea it was stolen. Officers did not believe his story, arrested him for possession of stolen property, and booked him at county jail. The bicycle was returned to its rightful owner at the scene, who was very happy to get their bike back less than an hour after reporting it missing.

06/17/2026

Bike Thief Arrested!

Most of our students, but not all, moved off campus at the end of the school session last week. Last night one of our remaining alert student residents noticed a suspicious person messing with a locked bike on campus and called UCPD. Officers quickly arrived on scene and contacted Kelly Cassidy (40) of Boulder Creek near the bike rack and in possession of bolt cutters. One of the bike’s front wheels had been removed and was now free of the lock.

Cassidy, who was already on probation for theft, admitted he was looking for abandoned bicycles left behind after the students moved off campus. It was pointed out that the bicycle in question had been locked to the bike rack before his arrival, so it was obviously not abandoned. He was arrested for the theft and being in violation of his probation terms.

We want to thank the alert student who saw the theft in progress and called the police. If not for their actions we would have had yet another unsolved bike theft on campus.

06/16/2026

Congrats UCSC 2026 Graduates!!🎉 Good Luck On Your Next Adventures!

06/09/2026

TEAMWORK SAVES A LIFE!

Earlier this year our department received a call from a Santa Cruz resident, who was walking the trails on the UCSC campus, who stated they believed they were experiencing a life-threatening medical condition. The caller’s cell phone abruptly hung up, and our 911 dispatcher could not get the person to answer the phone again.

Sergeant Watson and Officer Venzon immediately responded, arrived on scene within three minutes, and found the person unconscious and not breathing. They performed lifesaving efforts until Santa Cruz Fire Department arrived and the person survived the incident after being transported to the hospital. Everyone who responded to the scene agreed that if Sergeant Watson and Officer Venzon had not arrived so quickly the outcome would have been different.

Last month Sergeant Watson received the UCPD Lifesaving Medal, and Officer Venzon received a Chief’s Commendation Award, for their efforts that day. A Commendation Award also went out to the Santa Cruz Fire Department and Fire Chief Robert Oatey accepted the award on this team’s behalf. We want to thank everyone involved that day who helped save a life. It is that level of first responder teamwork that keeps our community safe.