News Briefs

UPPD hosts class for local community

Ten University City community members -- students, faculty, local residents and Spectaguards -- will be spending their Wednesday nights at the Penn police station starting October 4. The community members are enrolled in the Penn Public Safety Institute, a 10-week program offered by the Division of Public Safety and intended to provide a look at the inner workings of the University Police. "We want to show what law enforcement is really about," Deputy Chief of Investigations Tom King said. "Most people's ideas come from TV." Each week, a different University police officer or official will discuss an aspect of police work. Planned topics include Miranda rights, search and seizure laws and constitutional law for police. So far, only 10 people -- as opposed with 20 in last year's session -- have enrolled in PPSI, which King attributes to bad timing. He said that the University Police had more time to publicize the class when it was held during the spring semester. "The window of opportunity for advertising is very narrow this year," he said. University Police Chief Maureen Rush said that the first PPSI course was beneficial for the teachers as well as the students. "It was a way for us to learn more about the people we interact with, and vice versa," Rush said. She also said the class cleared up some misconceptions about police work. "They thought they knew what we did, but now they really know what we do," Rush said. -- Caryn Tamber

University employee latest robbery victim

Just days after the University Police issued a plea to students to avoid walking alone during the late-night hours, another member of the Penn community fell victim to an early-morning street crime over the weekend. On Sunday at about 3:30 a.m., a male University employee was approached by an unknown man at the intersection of 42nd Street and Baltimore Avenue. The man struck the employee in the face, then removed his watch and a wallet containing $200 in cash. The victim was not seriously hurt in the incident. The assailant is identified as a black male, approximately 5'4" tall with a gray shirt and tan pants, and was last seen fleeing west on Baltimore Avenue. Yesterday morning's incident comes on the heels of three separate, late-night robberies that hit the western outskirts of campus over the last three weeks. In each of the incidents, one or more individuals was approached by an unknown person who then assaulted them and made off with either a purse or a wallet. -- Jonathan Margulies