NEWS ANALYSIS: Students must press charges to combat crime

The reluctance of students to come forward and press charges after being victims of crime is leaving the Division of Public Safety with its hands cuffed. At the same time, the University is increasingly being viewed as good hunting ground by criminals who realize that students often do not press charges, or feel too busy to get involved in the judicial system. One example of students' reluctance to come forward after being victims of crime occurred last month at 40th and Locust streets. Five students said they were accosted by a man with an "Uzi or a TEC-9" machine gun in the middle of the afternoon. They refused to come forward and aid police with their investigation, however. "What people have to recognize is that the criminal justice system was set up to be complaint driven," University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said. "That means when something happens and someone wants something done about it, that's the system to be used." And while students blame police for not putting the criminals behind bars, Kuprevich said the police are powerless when the victim will not press charges. In most cases, a police officer cannot detain a suspect if the victim does not file a complaint. Often, students cite an act of retribution by the criminal as a major reason to not press charges. The students involved in the incident on Locust Street said they would not help Philadelphia Police with their investigation out of concern for their lives. But Kuprevich said the victim's fears are unfounded. "I don't know of any case here or in my 25 years of law enforcement where physical harm came to someone who testified in any of the cases I've been involved in," he said. "The occurrence of it is so minute. "It doesn't mean that [retribution] never happens," he added. "It is just not an excuse not to stand up." Kuprevich said that if a person who has testified feels afraid for his personal safety, University Police will pay "special attention to their area." In addition, if they call University Police, they will give it a "priority notice" status and treat the situation as a potential emergency. Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush said that besides fear, students often complain about the time involved in prosecution as a reason for not coming forward. "Fear I understand, but inconvenience gets me upset," she said. "Every person has a civic duty to work within the system." Victim Support provides counseling services and will transport the witness to and from court for the duration of the process. There have been promising cases recently, which may show a reverse in this the disturbing trend. Last Tuesday, for example, a female student and a woman in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall combined efforts with University Police Officer John Newton to arrest a man connected to several thefts in campus buildings. And earlier this month, a student came forward to identify a man who attempted to rob him at 36th and Market streets. The suspect in that case had been arrested earlier the same day for another robbery.