Seamon to release master safety plan today

Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon's new master plan for campus security incorporates a community policing philosophy with a comprehensive strategy for improving the standard of life on and around the campus. The plan, which will be released today, is divided into sections dealing with police, security, community and government, Seamon said yesterday. It will be implemented over the next three to five years. He described the proposal as "laying out a series of goals, followed by strategies to achieve those goals." The plan stresses that while "seeking to reduce crime and the perception of crime to the lowest possible levels," the University "cannot be held solely accountable for the off-campus environment. Instead, it focuses on implementing "community policing," which Seamon described as a partnership with the Penn community intended to increase the quality of life on campus. He added that its key component is a change in the attitude of the police department toward the University community. "They must adopt a customer service orientation toward everyone who works, lives and visits the campus," he explained. "Only then can we sit down with our customers and prioritize what is really important." Some of the plan's most important proposals concerning police include: doubling the number of detectives the department employs; standardizing a working relationship with the Philadelphia Police department; receiving national accreditation for the department; and increasing cooperation with other Philadelphia security providers, like Drexel and Temple universities. Additionally, the plan stresses the need for a new, unified Public Safety facility to accommodate high-technology security and coordinate private security personnel. The plan also reiterates the department's long-standing desire to upgrade to semiautomatic handguns, a proposal which many in the University community have opposed in the past. In the area of security, the plan calls for the creation of a state-of-the-art technological infrastructure for the campus, as well as improving the performance of the private security guards already employed. Seamon said he envisions the technological infrastructure as including improved alarm and access-control systems, limited use of closed-circuit television monitoring and upgrading the blue-light phones already in place. The plan also proposes to establish baseline security standards for the campus, as well as a comprehensive security audit of each building on campus to determine what more has to be done for the buildings. Seamon added that he would like to see the University only using one security provider, although individual schools would still be able to negotiate their own contracts based on their needs. Currently, individual schools have contracts with different companies. For example, the Dental School has a contract with Spectaguard, while the biggest University contract is with Allied Security. At the governmental level, the plan proposes to improve the quality of life in and around the campus through partnerships with local governments on such issues as street vendors, panhandlers, the homeless, traffic flow -- especially on Walnut and Spruce streets -- and public lighting. Additionally, the plan mandates that bicycle lanes be dedicated throughout the campus. Seamon stressed that "improving the overall area is the most effective kind of security possible," because it would encourage more students and faculty to remain in the area, pushing the criminal element further away from campus. Finally, in the community area, the plan proposes to increase student awareness of the "personal responsibility" they bear toward their own safety. It calls for the expansion of safety training and awareness seminars for students and reevaluation of the Penn Transit service with the goal of encouraging more students to use public spaces and sidewalks. Additionally, the plan proposes to develop closer relations with other members of the West Philadelphia community through coordinated neighborhood watch groups and the establishment of a Police Athletic League Center to provide athletic, tutoring and mentoring services to neighborhood youth. The plan concludes by listing several ways its effectiveness will be measured, including surveys of student perceptions of crime, a decrease in the crime rate and reductions in the number of students who reject the University because of security concerns. Seamon said that while he hopes the plan will soon produce a noticeable improvement in campus security, it is not a final document. "The plan will be reviewed and re-evaluated every year to determine what is working, what can work better and what needs to be changed," he said. "I view this as a living document."