Penn Walk safety cadets receive training

Dressed in a navy blue and fluorescent green Penn Walk vest, University Police Officer Paul Misner told 16 new Campus Safety Cadets, "look how good I look." The CSC trainees gathered at the Newman Center Tuesday to train for the new Penn Walk program -- a modified version of the current Walking Escort service -- that will take effect this week. In the past year, Penn Walk performed more than 1,500 walking escorts. And, according to Misner, the program is currently in the process of expanding in order to improve service to students. Director of Victim Support and Special Services Maureen Rush stated that the goal of the expansion is to "make the program more efficient." She added that she would like to increase the numbers of students who use Penn Walk, making the campus safer and "deterring illegal activity." In addition, the CSCs will be another set of "eyes and ears" on campus, joining Allied Security and Penn Watch in assisting University Police. On most nights, four walking teams will be dispatched, and they will be in direct radio contact with University Police. There will also be changes made in the way the escorts are dispatched. Calls for escorts will now be answered directly by Victim Support. By eliminating the "middleman," Misner said, response time should be improved to about ten minutes. Penn Walk customers will also be contacted periodically to evaluate the service. And monitors will periodically perform walk-alongs with the CSCs. In terms of the personal danger CSCs might encounter, Misner stated that, "nobody has been a victim yet." He also added that nights on which there is an increase of criminal activity, such as Penn Relays weekend, he will walk with the escorts to ensure their security. Wharton junior Beverly Ross is not worried about her own safety, however. "I'm a fairly safe person," she said, "and if worst comes to worst, I'll scream." She added that she thinks most people will use Escort vans unless they are going a short distance. "I don't think I'll be in a situation where I have to be worried," she said. Stanley Cantave, an Engineering sophomore, agreed, and said that the job "doesn't appear to be unsafe." The new CSCs went through an application process and are people Rush believes capable of "providing safe and efficient service." Penn Walk covers the area bound by Spruce and Pine streets and 34th and 40th streets. Penn Walk is on call from 6 p.m. until 3 a.m. seven days a week, and Rush encourages students to call 898-WALK to request a walking escort.