DPS: Security levels fine in area

Division of Public Safety officials said yesterday they have no major security changes planned for the area around 38th and Chestnut streets, the site of two shootings in the last month.

In an interview yesterday, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said DPS had already made a temporary increase in security in the area after the shooting of a Philadelphia Police officer at Koko Bongo Oct. 28.

Despite yesterday's shooting inside Club Wizzards, located across the street, officials decided that DPS's current patrol deployment in the area is sufficient, Rush said.

"Penn has done so much already," she said, cautioning against an overreaction that would pull security forces away from other areas of campus.

Rush has acknowledged that security is heaviest in the center of campus, where there is more foot traffic, and that the north side has become an increasing concern for both Philadelphia and Penn police.

But she said yesterday that, regardless, both Wizzards and Koko Bongo are types of places that "can facilitate" problems that are difficult for Penn or Philadelphia police to prevent.

"This was something that had been building up," she said, pointing to the extra police presence that had been placed around Koko Bongo even before last month's shooting occurred.

In the wake of that incident, Rush said DPS had increased its presence in the area, both by putting more uniformed police and security guards on patrol there and also by having plainclothes officers patrolling.

"We want to make sure [pedestrians and residents] see the additional enforcement," Rush said.

Penn Police have also focused on quality-of-life issues at the two clubs, she added, issuing citations for things such as rowdiness and public urination in an attempt to head off problems before they become serious and discourage those who would start trouble from frequenting the establishments.

Rush also said DPS was satisfied with the lighting in the area, which was doubled last January in response to the shooting of current Engineering senior Mari Oishi in January 2006.

Students who live at Hamilton Court, which is located a block down from both clubs, said they were satisfied with the police response but that the two establishments bring in a clientele that could be dangerous to the community.

The shootings "seem to be associated with the clubs and not just random people," said Engineering junior Conor Donnely, who added that "some of the establishments [in the area] need work."

The owners of Koreana Restaurant, a Korean restaurant located next to Wizzards, expressed more concern.

"We need more security walking around this area," owner Emma Aing said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.