Retail theft hinders U. officers

Retail theft -- more commonly called shoplifting -- has become a source of controversy within the University Police department. Many officers say they feel that responding to reports of shoplifting takes them away from their patrol duties and reduces their visibility on campus. "It's a misuse of police resources," University Police Captain John Richardson said. "We're not omnipresent. Should protecting merchants from shoplifters really be a focus of ours?" The problem, Richardson explained, is that merchants call University Police rather than Philadelphia Police because the response time is so much faster on campus. "They know that if they call us, we'll be there in minutes," he added. "But if they call the Philadelphia department, they could wait for a hour." Compounding the problem for University Police officers is the fact that merchants rarely press charges. Richardson estimated that storeowners only press charges "around half the time." "Usually they just want us to get their merchandise back for them," Richardson said. In the cases when charges are filed, University Police officers are required to bring the suspects to the Philadelphia Police department's 18th District at 55th and Pine streets for questioning -- a process that often takes University officers off campus for an hour. Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush agreed that policies governing officer coverage for retail theft should be reexamined. "These stores have to realize that the University Police department is a private department intended to protect the Penn community and serve the students," she said. Rush added that area stores have to take greater responsibility for their security. Richardson suggested that stores call the Philadelphia Police department. "We scan their frequencies and we'll hear any calls," he said. "Obviously, our officers would drive by to make sure that everything is okay. But we shouldn't be the primary response."