Crime down from last November

Crimes against people, like robberies and assaults, and crimes against property, including thefts and burglaries, are down from last November.

Robbery is down 66 percent from last November, and forcible sex offenses are down 40 percent.

“Crime against people is the category we’re most concerned with, and we are happy to see that going down,” Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

Theft from auto decreased significantly — by 70 percent — dropping from 10 last November to three last month. Rush said this has been a result of the auto theft task force, which the Division of Public Safety created earlier this semester. Burglary went down from six to three, while bike theft increased from 11 to 14.

Burglary and bike theft for the calendar year, though, is significantly higher than last year. Rush attributed this to the high number of bike thefts and burglaries earlier this semester. “These were the times when the students didn’t lock their bikes and their doors,” she said.

Rush advised students and faculty members to register for the holiday special-checks program . She said that every winter break, DPS offer this service free of charge to Penn community in the area. Students and faculty members can register their property with DPS online , and Penn Police will do special checks to make sure the doors and windows of these properties are secured while the residents are away.

Rush said that during the last winter break, there were over 100 homes and apartments registered, and none of these property had crime take place. During the past Thanksgiving break, of the 37 registered properties, no crimes were reported.

“It’s something we really encourage students and faculty members to take advantage of,” she said.

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