U. Police move into new HQ

The former warehouse at 4040 Chestnut Street now houses all Division of Public Safety operations. Construction workers put up the 3-foot-high letters Sunday, from the initial "P" to the final "E." Spelling out "POLICE," the sign completes the recent transformation of a blue, nondescript former warehouse on the 4000 block of Chestnut Street into a colossal headquarters for hundreds of University Police officers, security guards, administrators, counselors and technicians. When the letters -- which broke during shipment and are protected by black plastic bags -- finally light up for the official opening of the new, $3.5 million Division of Public Safety headquarters at a yet-to-be-determined date, they will highlight one of Managing Director of Public Safety Tom Seamon's long-standing goals: the consolidation of all campus security operations. Just one year ago, Public Safety operations were housed in four separate locations: a 19th-century townhouse in Superblock, a one-story brick annex behind it, a building on the 3900 block of Walnut Street and an office in Graduate Tower B at 37th and Chestnut streets. The new, technologically advanced station will replace the three current locations -- the townhouse at 3914 Locust Walk, the annex and the mini-station on the 200 block of South 40th Street, which officially opened last January and will now house the offices of the University City special services district. The consolidation was one of Seamon's top goals when he released his 40-page master plan for campus security in March 1996. The new station cost $1 million to purchase and an estimated $2.5 million to renovate. Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush explained that the new facility will benefit both the University and the surrounding area, primarily because the area around 40th and Chestnut streets generally sees more crime than Superblock. A new police station in that location, then, is likely to be a deterrent to criminals, she added. "It doesn't take long for people to know that there's a police station [on the block]," Rush said. "It stretches us out on a wholesale level." She predicted that the station's presence would make student housing in the surrounding area more appealing. Many students already live in row houses on the 4000 block of Sansom Street, behind the new station. The consolidation of services is convenient for employees and non-employees alike, Rush said. "Internally, the communication [among departments] will be wide open," she said. "So if you have a question, you can just pop into someone's office or jump on the intercom, as opposed to walking four blocks. And that spells better services." The facility allows for what Rush calls "one-stop shopping," as crimes can be reported at the front desk, detectives can ask questions down the hall and Special Services can offer victim support across the corridor. Additionally, the new station will be far more technologically advanced than the quaint building on Locust Walk that had previously housed the police station and several administrative offices. A high-speed computer network will soon link all of the offices in the new building. But the facility already has a state-of-the-art coffee machine equipped to make hot chocolate and cafe mocha and brew three strengths of coffee -- making a mockery of the solitary pot of joe that sits in the lobby of the old townhouse. There is a workout room, a suite for Spectaguard security guards and generous space for Penn Watch, the University's student-run town watch group. But several University police officers said they would miss being in the center of campus, surrounded by a sea of students. "I'll miss looking out my window and seeing the campus and students," said Det. Commander Tom King, whose new office is windowless. The new station will not include a mini-station for the Philadelphia Police Department, as originally planned, because the addition of the University City District Safety Ambassadors eliminated the need for them, Rush said. The PPD mini-station nearest to campus is at 44th and Walnut streets.

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