In wake of assault, U. boosts Penn Tower security

Police are still searching for the person they believe committed the assault, which injured a 53-year old Penn employee. University Health System officials attempted to allay employees' concerns over lax security inside the Penn Tower Hotel yesterday as they organized a series of safety workshops and announced plans to increase protection in the area "immediately." The fears were touched off by the Monday morning assault of a Health System employee inside her sixth-floor office. Toby Laiken, 53, of the 1800 block of Carwithan Street, was assaulted by an intruder at about 5:30 a.m., shortly after arriving for work, according to police. Laiken was admitted to HUP in serious condition between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday. Her condition improved yesterday to satisfactory. Three "safety sessions" -- held exclusively for employees based in the Penn Tower -- were part of what Health System spokesperson Rebecca Harmon described as an "across the board" security initiative being launched by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Tower security in response to the incident. In a letter to employees based in the Penn Tower -- which is operated by the Health System and contains both office space and hotel rooms -- Health System Chief Executive Officer William Kelley said he instructed the security force to "increase security measures immediately" and include "additional guards at strategic locations." Harmon said she did not know how many additional guards would be hired. The Penn Tower's security force, which currently consists of 12 guards, has lacked a director since former-Security Director Anthony Marziani left last semester. Although Health System Security Director Alfred Glogower is currently responsible for Penn Tower security guards, Harmon said the Health System will recruit a new full-time director as part of its response to the assault. Neither Glogower nor Marziani could be reached for comment yesterday. Employees said they were not allowed to comment on the meetings. Harmon explained that the Health System wants "one designated spokesperson issuing response" to the issue. Today, safety sessions will be conducted for Health Systems employees not based in the Penn Tower. "We all have to take personal responsibility," Harmon said, adding that employees should use the "buddy system" and Penn Shuttle services provided by the University as precautionary practices. Police are unsure how the intruder entered the Penn Tower. Also, police believe the suspect is responsible for two other burglaries and an attempted burglary on other floors of the building. All doors except the main entrance on the ground floor of the facility are locked between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and security guards patrol the building 24 hours a day. University Police Det. Commander Tom King said the fact that employees who work at the Penn Tower "come in at all hours" and "stay at all hours? makes for a very difficult security scenario." But King added that the best way the University Police force could reassure Health System employees would be to arrest a suspect in connection with the incidents. King said there was no video of the alleged assault, although he confirmed reports that police are reviewing surveillance videos from designated areas of the Penn Tower. The assault comes less than three weeks after Sam Jeantel, 31, of the 1600 block of Roumfort Road was fatally shot about a block south of the building on the 3400 block of Civic Center Boulevard. Philadelphia Police homicide detectives are still investigating the incident, which occurred shortly after midnight on December 31.

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