San Marcos is known for its charm and local fun for families, students and passersby. The community is close and continuously thrives as residents from San Antonio, Austin and surrounding areas visit for school or activities. However, San Marcos is no longer the small town safe community it once was. The crime rate has gone up, threatening the safety of residents.
In 2019 alone, there have been burglaries, a murder-suicide and sexual assaults. With crimes happening seemingly one after the other, it begs the question of security in San Marcos. According to the San Marcos Police Department, there have been 76 violent crimes and 150 property crimes through April, both expected to exceed previous yearly highs. As the population continues to increase, so do crime rates, making San Marcos less of a worry-free campus.
With the fall semester freshly started, a string of incidents has already occurred back-to-back. Just before the semester began, a man was arrested Aug. 23 for a string of armed robberies at The Cedar Apartments.
The week prior to the fall semester, a homicide occurred at Veterans Park Aug. 24, five minutes by car from campus. Several days later, a SWAT team was called Aug. 27 after a terrorist threat, theft and attempted kidnapping suspect was held up on the 700 block of Bishop Street. The suspect was captured but left a sense of unease as students were returning to their homes away from home.
Student apartments are ahead of the elderly when it comes to being targeted for burglary, since student living tends to provide opportunities for thieves. Most student-living apartments do not come with quality security systems—if anything besides a basic house lock.
A series of rapes and aggravated assaults occurred in a short amount of time between late April and early May 2019 in three different student apartment complexes. The suspects lived in the same off-campus housing, which shows how easily a student can fall victim to crime. On the peak is the Iconic Village apartment fire; the suspect has yet to be caught, leaving the community of San Marcos reeling.
The threat to safety is not solely from off-campus housing but can be felt on campus as well. In 2018, white supremacist business cards were found on campus. This type of propaganda is nothing new since in 2017, a white supremacist banner was strewn across Alkek Library.
In May 2019, a fight broke out after a protest on campus left four students arrested after reports of a conservative group called the Texas Nomads were coming to campus. Such threats can be common on college campuses, but the weight of the potential danger plays a greater role when over half ofenrolled students are minorities.
San Marcos no longer feels safe. It does not feel safe to walk around the city at night; it does not feel safe in an apartment. There should be no doubt violent crime is on the rise, which demands more attention to protect the student population and locals. With the freshmen class growing each year, the problem is likely to expand as well.
College towns all have ups and downs, but San Marcos is visibly losing its charm, which can turn students away, or worse, students are more likely to come in harm’s way.
An influx of students is making San Marcos their home for the next few years or more, meaning there needs to be additional protection services to compensate for this increase. Students must become more aware as this trend only seems to be intensifying as the years go on.