NEWS ANALYSIS: Campus only responded to crime wave after shooting

Shooting promptedShooting promptedsecurity increases,Shooting promptedsecurity increases,review of Escort University administrators have begun implementing short-term safety and security initiatives in hopes of reducing crime on and around campus. But those efforts began only after last Wednesday's shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy. In the past month, more than 30 robberies have occurred near campus. Yet response from both students and administrators to the rash of robberies was limited to last week's incident. University President Judith Rodin announced eight safety and security initiatives at a town meeting held the day after the shooting. According to Executive Vice President John Fry, the University allocates $15 million to security and safety each year. The new short- and long-term safety initiatives will cost the University approximately $7 million in additional funds over the next few years. "We're not going to leave any variable alone at this point," Fry said. The University is also commissioning a long-term study on Penn Escort services -- which many students complained about at last week's town meeting. Although the University community may not see results from the study for many months, immediate temporary changes will be made to the Penn Escort services within a week, Fry said. However, the other long-term security plans, including the moving of University Police headquarters to a site on 40th Street, will not impact students for a while. Results from several short-term initiatives, including the addition of new blue light phones and Spectaguard patrols, are expected within the next month. The 10 additional Spectaguard guards will begin patrolling the west end of campus sometime this week, Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon said. In response to the robberies that occurred before the shooting, Public Safety stepped up patrols. And officials thought part of the crime problem was on its way to solution two weeks ago when they arrested three men believed to be responsible for many of the robberies. But armed robberies continued to take place, before and after Wednesday's shooting. "[The] arrests really cut into the problem, but one, two or even three men did not commit all of these crimes," University Police Captain John Richardson said before the shooting. As of last week's town meeting, 17 of the 28 reported incidents since the beginning of the semester have been cleared by University Police, according to Rodin. "By any law enforcement standard that is an incredible record," she said. However, aside from the arrests and increased patrols, the administration did not publicly acknowledge or respond to the large number of armed robberies in the University City area. And students did not react to the reported crime increase until last Wednesday afternoon, when they learned of the shooting. "This has become much more real because people knew Patrick," Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. Although the student body reacted with immediate concern, some felt they did not receive an adequate response from administrators. Students complained that Wednesday's University Council meeting did not afford them the opportunity to ask questions and voice their opinions. "A lot of students left today feeling disrespected," Wharton senior and Undergraduate Assembly member Gil Beverly said at the Council meeting. And when Rodin did not appear at a rally held on College Green Wednesday night, the hundreds of students in attendance chanted, "Where's Judy?" Rodin said she was spending the evening with other administrators, developing possible short-term initiatives to decrease crime. The administration's first official response came through an e-mailthat the Office of the Vice Provost of University Life sent to all students within 24 hours of the shooting. The letter informed students of the VPUL's services and urged students to take extra precautions when traveling at night. During Thursday's town meeting, Rodin answered student questions for nearly two hours, in the hope of allaying student fears. And last Friday, Rodin sent a letter to parents outlining the new security initiatives and addressing safety concerns. "I have an enormous sense of responsibility for this University and for your children," Rodin wrote. But the real effects of the new campus emphasis on safety and security remain to be seen.