The Diablo Valley College campus was vandalized on Saturday, Nov. 5 when a suspect broke into the faculty office buildings. 

Kathryn McDonald, lieutenant officer for the campus police, confirmed the next week that they had the suspect in custody. 

The suspect, who is not currently a student at DVC, was discovered in the campus’s old art building on the same day the incident occurred. 

The stolen items were recovered at the same location where the suspect was found. 

The office of Obed Vazquez, Dean of Social Sciences, as well as seven other rooms in the faculty office buildings, were broken into and ransacked. 

The reinforced steel glass window on the door of Vazquez’s office was shattered, and his computer, microphone and various cables were taken from his desk. 

According to faculty, charging cables, a safety monitor bag, two flashlights, a bluetooth headset, tape, eyeglasses, chips, soda and candy were stolen from the other offices. 

Police said they don’t know how long the suspect was using and potentially staying in the unmonitored space on campus. 

“We know [the art building] is not occupied as often, and sometimes that is a draw to people who may want to come in out of the cold and settle in, because they have nowhere else to be,” Lt. McDonald told The Inquirer. 

She encouraged staff and students to put in a work order request if they see things happening on campus that seem out of the ordinary or might require police attention. 

“Overall the campus is a safe space to be,” said McDonald, who acknowledged that having a large campus is challenging to constantly monitor. 

“They’re not necessarily looking for something specific, but if they find an opportunity, that’s when they either break into a building or commit a crime,” she added.

The shock of the incident reverberated across campus.

 “The faculty that I talked to feel it’s pretty unnerving to know something like that has happened,” said administrative secretary Lisa Martin, who works in the Social Sciences division building. 

Some faculty have stated their concerns about not having cameras or security on campus after 11 p.m.—a complaint shared by Dean Vazquez in the aftermath of the break-in.

“I think we do need some more security,” said Vazquez. “I would even advocate for cameras at this point.”

Martin, who was alerted about the break-in by another faculty member, said “there was glass everywhere.” Although she feels comfortable working on campus, she added, “I do know a lot of the faculty were feeling very uncomfortable with the fact that something like this would happen.”

Martin notified all of the faculty in the affected area and gave their information to the officers for documentation. 

McDonald reiterated that campus police are available at all hours to provide support for students, faculty or staff who seek assistance, particularly on questions related to safety. The campus police non-emergency phone number is (925) 686-5547. 

“We encourage people to call us, even if it’s just to walk to their car in the dark,” she said.