COLUMN: Rethinking security on campus

From Jeff Adler's, "Section 8," Fall '98 From Jeff Adler's, "Section 8," Fall '98The other day I was peering through my kitchen window at two police officers who struggled to handcuff a large African American man in my backyard. The officers soon had him in handcuffs, but now transporting the suspect became a problem. We, of course, assented and they escorted the suspect through our living room and out the front door. Needless to say, this all happened rather quickly and was pretty shocking. I did regain my composure in time, however, to question an officer dressed in plain clothes who had been rummaging through some bushes with a flashlight. "What's this all about?" I asked. "Big drug bust," he said as he hurried to catch up with the other officers. "By the way, he threw a gun when he was running. I looked around but didn't see it. If you come across it, give us a call." A gun in my backyard? What did that mean? If we found it, could we keep it? Give who a call? If I found some hand cannon, was I supposed to call 9-1-1, and say, "Excuse me but I found that gun you were looking for?" Sometimes the police don't seem to make a whole lot of sense. What's the point of arresting this guy and leaving the gun out there for someone else to find and use? I am not saying that Penn Police should beef up their efforts in these arenas. Within reason and the law, students should be able to do what they want to do without a babysitter. What I question is why more of the valuable and limited resources of the Penn Police department aren't used to protect us from dangers more threatening than ourselves. In addition to focusing on eliminating street crimes, it's high time that police expend more energy to prevent criminal incidents in campus buildings. Take, for example, an excerpt from a crime report earlier this year: "A male graduate student reported that his locker at Gimbel Gymnasium was broken into between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. A watch and a wallet containing $20 and several credit cards were stolen." ("Crime Report," DP, 10/21/98). Since I have been at the Penn, incidents like the above have become commonplace. Like these thieves, I try to go to the gym when I get a chance, and I would like to go more often. I, however, need a PennCard to enter. Honestly, how the hell are these people getting into buildings like Hutch and Gimbel? It seems like I have a more difficult time accessing Penn facilities than they do. If it's a door somewhere, I suggest locking it for good. There is always the possibility that Penn students are committing these crimes, but in either case, police need to improve surveillance in these buildings. Here's another case in point from last spring: "College senior John La Bombard, 22, was struck in his left thigh by a stray bullet that penetrated the thin walls of the Blauhaus, a blue fine-arts building" ("Crime at U. sees overall decrease," DP, 6/1/98). Is it too much to ask that walls at this University be bulletproof? If that sounds unreasonable, maybe we could have in-class emergency exercises. The professor shoots a starter pistol, and we all jump under our desks. Seriously, what kind of a school is this where bullets are flying through classrooms? The November 9 assault on a student in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall is the latest incident of a serious on-campus attack within a school building. The question now is what should be done to make campus buildings safer. Quite simply, we seem to need a more effective police presence when it comes to buildings. This does not mean merely more guards. It means guards who perform their job with diligence. If there are PennCard check points, guards must make sure that the card bearer's face is the same as that on the ID. I am not calling for martial law at Penn. We are not yet at the point where we need soldiers toting M-16s to stand guard in the back of the classroom. We are at a stage, however, where we need a plan to make our classrooms safe. A plan that puts an end to violence in classroom buildings. A plan that tells criminals -- whether they be from inside or outside our community -- that they will not succeed in preying upon Penn students. I have faith that Penn Police Chief Maureen Rush can implement such a plan. For the rest of us, it is our duty to ensure that the Penn Police follow through in their efforts. It's great that the crime rate is down, but as long as there are assaults on students in campus buildings, Penn Police is failing us. But our community can help end the problem by making sure that the police and the administrators keep school buildings safe. Send the message and keep sending it until the idea of wearing bulletproof vests to class is nothing but a tasteless joke: enough is enough.