The guard who was on duty when a man snuck into the Quadrangle and attempted to assault a student has been fired by Allied Spectaguard.
"Allied has completed their investigation," Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. "There were several possible reasons why a breach of security occurred, but there was enough pointing to the security guard's role in this that they decided to terminate his employment with Allied."
The alleged assailant, 30-year-old Jacob Leslie Dallas, reportedly disguised himself among a large group of students in order to enter the Quad at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.
He then wandered around the Quad, where some students noticed him -- one of whom called Penn Police -- before entering a female student's room and attempting to sexually assault her. He was arrested 14 minutes later at the SEPTA Station at 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue.
Rush stated that the Spectaguard on duty at the 37th and Spruce Street entrance, where Dallas entered, was not checking students' Penn cards.
"Apparently [the security guard] was not asking students to show I.D. cards or swiping I.D. cards, and that is a reason the guard was terminated," she said.
However, despite the Saturday incident, officials the University remains satisfied with the performance of Allied Spectaguard, the company that provides all University security services.
"The management team of Allied Spectaguard has gone over and above the requirements of their contract," Rush stated. "They have done marvelous things in conjunction with public safety."
While the Division of Public Safety is satisfied with Allied Spectaguard, Rush said that there are still some residential security issues that need to be resolved.
"There are also issues that need examining in all of the residences in that there are people practices that we need to get under control," she said. "When huge numbers of people try to go through one gate, that is a problem."
The Division of Public Safety is currently working with Business Services to conduct a complete audit of security in the dormitories.
"The audit is ongoing," Rush said Sunday evening. We want to put "measures in place, personnel or electronic, that can prevent [similar incidents] from happening."
The University has been working with Spectaguard for residential security since August of 1994. Two years ago, Spectaguard merged with Allied Security, although the management team at Penn remained the same. Allied Security is also the largest independent contract security officer company in the nation.
Prior to 1994, Penn contracted with McGinn Security Services. The contract with McGinn was terminated in 1994, after several employees were found sleeping while on duty.
