U. Police extends patrol area to north of campus

Presbyterian Hospital and the University City Science Center are now covered by the UPPD. Following four years of decreased crime rates in University City, the Division of Public Safety extended its patrol area several blocks north and south of its former boundaries in December. According to Vice President for Public Safety Tom Seamon, the increased area now includes the Presbyterian Medical Center of the University of Pennsylvania Health System at 39th Street and Powelton Avenue, the University City Science Center buildings on Market Street from 34th to 38th streets and a property at 4101 Woodland Avenue now owned by the Nursing Education department. With only the northernmost extension requiring an additional patrol unit, five officers were added to the University Police's roster to cover the area near the Presbyterian Medical Center, Seamon said. Taking into account shifts and days off, the post requires about five additional people to cover it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "We felt that we could take on the Nursing Education part of it without having to add any officers -- that wasn't that big of an addition," Seamon said. "But Presbyterian, because of all the buildings, the parking lots? we wanted to add an additional post." The area will be patrolled by bicycle, with University Police cars also driving through. "We think we have the right numbers of coverage for the area we have," Seamon said. University Police extended its patrol area -- which formerly spanned west as far as 43rd Street, south to Woodland Avenue, east to 30th Street and north to Market Street -- at the end of last year. The northern border of the patrol area, which was formerly Market Street, was extended one block north to Filbert Street between 34th and 38th streets. At 38th Street, the area now stretches north to Lancaster Avenue, turning west onto Baring Street. At 40th Street, the boundary again becomes Market Street. On the southern side of the patrol area, the Baltimore Avenue barrier was extended to Woodland Avenue between 39th and 42nd streets.