COLUMN: Unsafe at Any Time

From Adam Scioli's "The Old Boys' Club," Fall '93 True, the University police have been rated among the top five campus police departments in the nation; but the administration and the "University community" have not been treating the department with the respect that such distinction would seem to merit. University police say they lag behind other departments in benefits, are ill-equipped, understaffed and ultimately lack the necessary support from the Administration to do their job well. This low morale all translates into less safe conditions for the students in the already unsafe environs. First, there is the question of how many police officers are out on the street. In its "Safer Living Guide for 1991-93," the Division of Public Safety states that the department is comprised of "almost 100 officers and supervisors," and 7 detectives. In reality, however, one need only count the number of officers on the squad roster to find that the department has only the capacity to field a force of 79. One officer, a veteran of nearly three years, calls the inflated number published in brochures and dispersed to students and families "a blatant misrepresentation of the truth." His colleague, a three-year veteran, notices an administrative trend to "give people a false sense of security and safety." The officer pointed to the University's newly implemented policy of fixed-post positions, especially on Locust Walk, as case in point. "There could be a serious crime occurring a block away from my post," he explained, "and the only thing that would matter to them[the police administrators] is that I'm at my post." Not only are there fewer cops than advertised, but they may just be in the wrong place. How many of your mugged friends were attacked in the middle of Locust Walk? I doubt you need two hands to count that one. Other truths remain unspoken. For example, University police currently carry a side-arm so antiquated that its technology hasn't changed since the late 1950s. Their .38 caliber, six-shot revolver is no match for the automatic weapons available to the common criminal on the street. An officer who has been with the force for over two years described pulling a 9mm semi-automatic handgun off an assailant. The gun was loaded with teflon armor-piercing bullets – a bullet designed solely to penetrate protective vests. When the officer commented that his .38 was inadequate, the University's response was that anything more powerful might give off vibes of "intimidation" and turn the campus into a "police state." God forbid that would-be criminals should feel intimidated by the police who are there to protect the students. Police Commissioner John Kuprevich declined to comment on the "caliber question," speaking vaguely of a "committee that looked at those concerns." He went on to add that such discussion "makes people fearful that we're escalating." Who are these "people" and what do they have to fear- the service weapons used to protect "the community," or the ruthless rogues that wander our streets day and night? Ask yourselves! And even if the bullets could be stopped by a protective vest, I'm not sure you'd want to wear the ones our Penn Police rely on. According to several officers, many of the very vests that they are issued by the department to protect themselves have exceeded the manufacturer's recommended life span. Kuprevich himself admits that some members of the force have not yet been issued a vest at all, despite his self-proclaimed policy of "mandatory use." Two officers told me that when their colleagues complained they were told that the University was "working on it." Then there's the issue of the uniforms themselves. The $400 per year equipment allowance is hardly enough to replace a tattered patrol jacket which sells in the vicinity of $200. A raincoat and a pair of $99 boots leaves hardly change in a patrolman's piggy bank. What is really frightening is that the police have trouble even communicating with each other. According to several officers, their radios do not work on the SEPTA subway platforms, the frequent site of crimes. If an officer finds himself in trouble on the platform, he is in a radio "blind spot" and must run to the surface to transmit and communicate for backup in order to protect himself or a student at risk. Moreover, the radios do not transmit properly in the medical sector of campus or in Houston Hall with its lead-glass windows. One officer said he lost the battery to his radio while involved with an assailant and was stabbed in the leg as a result of not being able to transmit his whereabouts. All this contributes to a general lack of professionalism, leaving officers feeling powerless and abandoned. "Where they [the administration] should be supporting us, they are betraying us," noted another officer. Nowhere was the betrayal felt more keenly than in the Administration's disciplining of an officer who responded to the recent episode centering around the theft of more than 14,000 copies of the April 15 edition of the Daily Pennsylvanian by a group identifying itself as the "Black Community." The officer was suspended for three days without pay. Fellow officers say the cop was punished unjustly for using one baton strike to effect an arrest of an unruly student. They complained bitterly of far-fetched parallels drawn between their response and that of the L.A.P.D.'s to Rodney King. There is no doubt that police, given their awesome responsibility and considerable power that society bestows on them, must exercise constraint. But when that restraint is taken to a ridiculous extreme, police can no longer trust their instincts, leaving only the criminal to benefit. When I asked a three-year officer to describe the climate within the department and how it effects his actions on the job he summed things up quite poignantly by saying: "It blows like a fuckin' hurricane, and you can quote me. I'm not about to touch anyone unless they commit a serious crime right in front of my face." Well, I did quote him, and apparently his sentiments are shared by others on the force. The Commissioner stated that "It is unfortunate that they feel this way," adding that the department is "working on correcting the ambiguity" of the officers duties and responsibilities. In speaking with officers, I'm not sure there's any ambiguity at all. It's quite apparent that they know exactly what situations they would be best avoiding from a political stance. It is past time for the administration to take an objective look at the campus police and their needs, given the reality of our urban environment and the rapidly deteriorating support structure of the department. Right now, what makes the police department among the best is its police officers – the men and women on the line. Unless the Administration attends to their just demands, they'll leave and go where they will be appreciated. And that would surely compromise the safety of all of us. Adam Scioli is a senior Political Science major from Rockville, Maryland. The Old Boys' Club will appear alternate Thursdays.