The recent burglary in Harrison College House will not affect the service and contract of Allied Spectaguard, the company that coordinates security on campus.
The March 4 break-in was not a result of negligence on behalf of any of the Spectaguards who monitor security at all college house entrances. The burglar, 19-year-old Robert Adger, was signed into the college house by a resident whose name has not been released in accordance with Penn's security policy, according to University Police.
Domenic Ceccanecchio, director of security and technical services at the University, said that officials are happy with the job that Allied Spectaguard has done since the company was initially hired in 1997. He added that there are no changes forseeable in the near future.
Though no fault was ascribed to Allied Spectaguard in this case, in September the company admitted negligence when a man unaffiliated with the University illegally entered the Quadrangle and attempted to sexually assault a female student in her dormitory room.
Following that incident, Allied Spectaguard fired the guard who had allowed the alleged assailant to enter the Quadrangle, and University officials added a new gate to the upper Quad entrance. At that time, residents also reported an increase in security. Despite the breach, the University did not make any changes in its contract with Allied Spectaguard, and officials say they do not plan to do so in the future.
Ceccanecchio stressed that the recent incident in Harrison College House had nothing to do with the competency of the Spectaguards and that security on campus is always improving.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush agreed, saying, "There is nothing immediately being planned, but we're always working with the college house system to examine the business practices of how people enter and how guests are signed in... to make it more efficient and safer."
Spectaguard is the first security company to be hired centrally by the University across all schools and centers, according to Ceccanecchio. Prior to 1997, each school and center at Penn had to independently hire security, and it was a difficult system to oversee, he explained.
The Daily Pennsylvanian reported in 1994 that McGinn Security Services, one of these outsourced security companies, was fired after multiple security guards were found asleep on the job, a situation that incited criticism of campus safety.
Allied Spectaguard currently employs over 19,000 people nationwide and has over 60 regional offices. It is the largest independent contract security officer company in the United States, according to its Web site.
