By: Noemi Garcia |Staff Writer|

The city of San Bernardino has won the top spot on the list of California’s most dangerous cities.

 
The study was conducted by the law firm of Graham Donath, who based his findings on crime, police, and community factors, according to the Breitbart News.

 
San Bernardino has been struggling financially since in 2012 when the city when bankrupt.

 
“Southern California[‘s] city of about 210,000 people also [became] the second largest in the nation ever to file for bankruptcy,” according to The Insider News.

 
The financial struggles of the city caused the law enforcement department to lose members.

 
The city’s police department budget is $223 per capita, while cities like Oakland is $461 per capita, according to the Breitbart News.

 
San Bernardino’s homicide rate went up over 50 percent in 2012 due to less law enforcement officials and more gang members moving into the city from Los Angeles located 60 miles west, according to the New York Times.

 
“Lock your doors and load your guns,” said city attorney James F. Penman to concerned citizens in an interview with the New York Times.

 
Law enforcement’s presence is important to having a safe city according to the study conducted by attorney Graham Donath.

 
The National League of Cities recognized San Bernardino for implementing programs that were efficiently reducing crimes, yet lost all the hard work when it all became too expensive, according to the New York Times.

 
“San Bernardino like many places has taken a turn for the worse because of housing projects, half way houses and tax cuts that have lured criminal activity to this once a beautiful place, that’s why we see an increase in break ins, sexual assaults, and terrorism,” said student Maria Campos.

 
Dozens of officers have been laid off since the bankruptcy filing, leaving the police force with 264 officers, down from 350 in 2009, according to the New York Times.

 
“Those who remain call in sick more often”, said San Bernardino Police Chief Robert Handy in an interview with the New York Times.

 
The city’s poverty rate is 30.6 percent, the highest of the 68 cities that were analyzed.

 
San Bernardino’s unemployment is amongst the highest when compared to its neighboring cities at a 5.5 percent, according to the State of California Employment Development Department.

 
CSUSB’s campus police have sent out various e-mails to keep students aware of any dangerous situations.
“On May 9,2016, a male walked into the rental office an apartment complex in 2400 block of Kendall Drive. He attacked and sexually assaulted the female (non-affiliated) inside the office,” stated a CSUSB campus police e-mail.

 
However, students of CSUSB do not think that the level of danger that exists in San Bernardino will reflect on the students.

 
“Any place has its dangers, you just have to adapt to your environment and learn safety procedures. You should always be on your A game when it comes to safety at all times,” said student Laurence Biutin.

 
Even though CSUSB is located in California’s most dangerous city, students are still proud to be Coyotes.

 
“I’m proud of being a coyote. CSUSB is a great campus that doesn’t get the respect and recognition it deserves but that is okay because the students are the ultimate reflection of the school,” added Biutin.

 
“As a CSUSB student I feel proud to be part of this organization,” concluded Campos.