U. continues search for Dantzler-Wolfe

University Police, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police Department, are continuing the search for David Dantzler-Wolfe -- the Wharton junior who has been missing since Dec. 10. The Division of Public Safety has utilized all resources available to facilitate the investigation, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush. This has included posting information about Dantzler-Wolfe on the National Crime Information Center computer network, to which all national law enforcement agencies have access. Because Dantzler-Wolfe is a Penn student, his disappearance demands a slightly different procedure. According to officials, the question of jurisdiction often comes into play with cases involving crimes committed on college campuses, particularly those within large cities. "We have primary jurisdiction because Dantzler-Wolfe was a University affiliate whose last sighting was in a dorm that is University property," Rush said. "But the Philadelphia Police Department was aware from the get-go. We kept in touch on a daily basis, and they've been assisting in any way they can through flyers and alerting surrounding police districts." Students are generally hard to classify as missing because they are considered adults. "When they're that age, they're not necessarily considered missing right away because they don't have to tell anyone where they're going," said a Philadelphia Police Department officer who did not want her name published. "But every university has a police department, so we would put it in their hands and help where we could." General national guidelines from the Federal Bureau of Investigation dictate that police wait 72 hours before classifying someone as a missing person. But, Penn Police does not have to adhere to these strict guidelines. "Here at Penn we don't wait," Special Services Director Patricia Brennan said. "When something that seems unusual comes to my attention, we start the investigation immediately." This sentiment is echoed at other Ivy League universities, which follow the same protocol. "We start looking for them right away," said Princeton Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser. "The University Police handles it with some joint help from the bureau, but we never hand it over completely unless it's a ransom or a kidnapping, which we have never had." Harvard University Police Department Public Information Officer Steven Catalano said that he has a cooperative relationship with the Boston Police Department. "We're a full service police department for Harvard, but we work with any law enforcement agency that is necessary," Catalano said. "We work jointly with any police department that can help." Missing student cases that actually result in long-term investigations are rare, according to police. "It's very uncommon to have a student actually be missing. Usually they went away for the weekend and didn't tell anyone," Rush said. "I've been here for eight years, and the only other missing student we've had was" Anirban Majumdar. Majumdar was an Engineering graduate student who was found drowned in the Schuylkill River on Nov. 18, 2001. He had been reported missing on Nov. 2 and Penn Police had been conducting an investigation into his whereabouts. Dantzler-Wolfe was last seen around 8 a.m. on Dec. 10 when he entered Harnwell College House, his dormitory. University Police began searching for him after he failed to show up for his scheduled exams on Dec. 10 and 11. Anyone who may have information regarding Dantzler-Wolfe's disappearance should contact the Special Services Department of the University Police at (215) 898-6600.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.