I have lived in the Midwest for seven years now, but I keep in close touch with my parents in San Diego and still have a lot of friends there too. Library security news follows me everywhere and I see the same stories that perhaps you do: crime and violence problems at the main branch of the Oakland library; fentanyl drug overdoses around the San Francisco Civic Center library; the temporary closure of the Long Beach main library due to harassment of staff; the one-day closure of the Antioch (CA) Library due to staff fears about on-going crimes, vandalism, and violence; security issues at Los Angeles city and county libraries; a homicide shooting in front of the San Diego downtown library.
It’s hard to look at this list of issues in our most populous state in the county and conclude California is at the forefront of library safety and security, for its staff, facilities, and patrons. The safety of library staff is now a significant issue with the employee unions
Here are five primary reasons for this growing trend of crime and behavior problems in and around California libraries:
