Despite huge crowds, crime falls during Relays weekend

While attendance skyrocketed during this weekend's Penn Relays, crime rates reached an all-time low. The crowd in attendance for this year's Relays increased by more than 8,000, yet crime rates continued to decline. "All in all, it was a very peaceful weekend," said University Police Chief Maureen Rush, the interim vice president for public safety. Between Thursday and Saturday, close to 110,000 people were in attendance at Franklin Field, not including the large crowds attracted to Penn's campus that did not even enter the stadium. According to Penn Police, there were four incidents of crime related to the Relays, down from nine last year. These four incidents were three thefts of handbags or wallets, some due to pickpockets in the crowds, and one report of a stolen vehicle. However, according to Rush, 21 incidents were reported overall, including one citation for trespassing, four disturbances in the stands at Franklin Field and two notices for public urination. Scalping had been highlighted as a major target for the police forces before Relays, and over the weekend there were three investigations of alleged scalpers, as well as 11 tickets confiscated from suspected scalpers. "The success of the Penn Relays is no accident," Rush said in an e-mail statement. "There were months of planning meetings with multiple divisions within the University and agencies within the City of Philadelphia." University Police collaborated with members of the Philadelphia Police Department to patrol Relays. "[The collaboration] made this event the best ever in regards to public safety, crowd control, cleanliness and vending management," Rush said. Director of Athletic Operations Dave Bryan said he was pleased with the results of this collaboration. "We've worked very closely with our police department working out the details of handling increased crowds and the volume of traffic. and things went very well," he said. "An event this size requires that kind of large effort," Ryan added. Three people reported injuries over the weekend, but only one was serious. A man was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for chest pains. Crime overall within the University Police jurisdiction also remained low between Thursday night and Saturday night -- a time period that also included Hey Day. There was only one robbery reported during this time period. On Friday night a person was robbed at the MAC machine located on the 3900 block of Walnut Street. Police said the incident was not related to the Penn Relays. Crime at Relays has consistently decreased over the past four years, creating a marked change from the 1997 Relays when there was a riot at the 38th and Spruce streets Wawa and a carjacking at Franklin Field. Penn Police's other main objective for the weekend was to organize a massive clean-up of the area after Relays. "By Sunday morning, you couldn't tell that over 50,000 people were ever in the area," Rush said. Bryan commended Penn Police for this effort. "Everyone tried to return the area to its original condition, and they did a good job," he said. All in all, Rush said she was very pleased with the Relays weekend. "The Penn Relays was a spectacular event, both inside and outside the venue thanks to excellent cooperation and team work," she said.

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