Seamon set to tackle U. safety issues

Will utilize Phila. police Deputy Philadelphia Police Commissioner Thomas Seamon plans to better integrate University Police and the Philadelphia Police Department when he takes office as managing director of the Division of Public Safety September 25. As the second-in-command of the Philadelphia Police Department and a 26-year Philadelphia Police veteran, he has the connections to make it happen. "Hopefully we can do something that will be a model for the country," Seamon said. "I really think [University Police officers] have the potential to be the leaders of law enforcement." He said he has several plans that will not only increase the safety of the campus, but also help boost the officers' satisfaction with their jobs. Some of his initiatives include increasing the training of the University Police officers, bringing the Police Athletic League to campus, making sure more police are out on the streets and working on private security issues at the University. Seamon said he believes bringing the Police Athletic League to the University will help further strengthen the relationship between the University and West Philadelphia. The League is much more than a place for sports -- it's a safe place for kids to have fun, he said. "It's not very expensive, but it's a tremendous program," Seamon added. He said he sees private security as the wave of the future and thinks the University should update its technology in order to meet the needs of Allied Security guards and other personnel. "The technology for private security is progressing by leaps and bounds," he said. "Penn is ripe for real improvements in security technology." Seamon also said he likes the idea of the "Community Walks" program -- which is geared at providing more on-campus security -- because it is similar to a plan he initiated near the Convention Center in Philadelphia. One of the keys to creating a sense of safety and security in a community is to make sure public places are not deserted at night. Because of this, Seamon said he hopes to see more students out on the street instead of relying on Escort Service for transportation. "Safety comes when people take the streets back to their own," he said. "That's going to have to be a long-term change to get people to come back and use the public space -- but I think it's something to be done." One of the issues Seamon said he is grappling with is how far out the University Police jurisdiction should extend. "As you continue project out into further and further from the campus, you dilute the public safety forces that you have here," Seamon said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.