Public Safety to teach tricks of their trade

Members of the University community will no longer have to catch the latest episode of "Cops" to witness the ins and outs of police work. Applications are currently being accepted for the new Penn Public Safety Institute, a 12-week course intended to introduce students, faculty, staff and area residents to all aspects of the Division of Public Safety. "By learning more about what we offer, and getting to know some of the men and women who serve our community, we expect that people will better be able to use our services," Vice President for Public Safety Tom Seamon said in a press release about the course. The program will begin on January 19 and will be limited to 20 applicants -- five students, five faculty members, five staff members and five West Philadelphia residents. Admittance will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Topics covered in the weekly, two-hour sessions will include the criminal justice system, security technology, fire and occupational safety, firearms safety, victim support and domestic violence. Participants will also have the opportunity to ride along with University Police on patrol and experiment with a 3-D police firearms simulator, in addition to other hands-on training techniques. "People will get to walk in an officer's shoes," University Police Chief Maureen Rush said. Although police departments across the country run similar "citizen police academies," the focus of the Penn program is different, Rush said, because of Public Safety's large umbrella of services and programs. "It will give an overview of all the divisions within Public Safety," Rush said, rather than just the police aspect. University Police Sgt. Larry Salotti will serve as training officer for the program, and will be joined by officials across Public Safety, including supervisors, police officers and detectives.

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