EDITORIAL: Dear John

Just a little note to let UPPDJust a little note to let UPPDCommissioner John Kupre-Just a little note to let UPPDCommissioner John Kupre-vich know how we feel.Just a little note to let UPPDCommissioner John Kupre-vich know how we feel.______________________________ Just a little note to let UPPDCommissioner John Kupre-vich know how we feel.______________________________Dear John, Although a rape happened next door to the Law School just before 10 p.m. last week and made big headlines in this newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News, they all miss the big picture. "What would have been the reaction if what happened had happened at 37th and Locust Walk," you said Thursday. Well, John, thankfully, we will never know. Because in all your wisdom as a police chief, you station your finest men and women in blue right in the middle of the crime-infested free-fire zone which is Locust Walk. Sure, you get a lot a heat. Detractors question your new policy that requires police officers to permanently stay on Locust Walk – no matter what happens a block away. They say that police presence or just the possibility of it may have prevented the sexual assault last week. But, what do they know? Due to your policy, as this College of General Studies student was being kidnapped and subjected to terror beyond anyone's imagination, police officers on Locust Walk were preventing yet another filching of an unattended backpack or the always nefarious and mysterious unlawful discharge of a fire extinguisher on a freshman floor. Or maybe, the Locust Walk police presence was enough to deter a potential theft of those precious rear bike tires. John, your foresight is remarkable. Despite your innovations in crime fighting, you still have to deal with those yellow-bellied suburban parents. At a forum this past weekend with parents, you did a top-notch job in setting the record straight. You are absolutely right when you told parents that by reporting that a kidnapping/robbery/rape/shooting occurred near campus, the Daily Pennsylvanian was just airing "dirty laundry." We're sorry. We have betrayed the best interests of your job security and of the development office. In the future, we will not report any crime that happens on, near, or within 1500 miles of the campus. Not knowing what crime occurs where adds a little spice in the average students' life. We should follow your expertise in public relations. When one parent asked if Escort took students to South Street, your staff said it did – 20th and South Street. Who cares if that's a good 15 blocks away from what most people mean by "South Street." But hey, that parent is sleeping a little easier tonight. You were especially astute when asked how many officers normally serve on a shift. "We had 20 officers out last night," you said proudly referring to Parents' Weekend. Never mind that it's a rare day when more than 15 are on duty, and it's just a matter of details that of this number, many of them aren't even on the street. John, you have broken new ground in crime prevention and in community relations. In addition, your sensitivity and understanding is unmatched. Don't listen to all those whiners and take it from us: we are proud to have you as our police commissioner John, we salute you.