Several members of the Penn community certainly feel the University of Pennsylvania Police Department is worthy of retaining its status as an elite law enforcement agency.
The UPPD is currently undergoing an evaluation to determine if it is worthy to have its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies renewed. The department was initially accredited in 2001 and takes the recognition as a sign of excellence in the operation and service of a department.
At a public forum held as part of the evaluation at the police station last night, approximately 10 attendees, including two students and several neighborhood residents and workers, repeatedly praised the department. Several said they had "had a very positive experience" while working with the police on their own projects.
Every three years, assessors from CALEA review police departments to ensure that they still meet the more than 400 mandated standards. These guidelines cover such factors as the quality of training, police pursuits and the use of force.
Computer Connection staff member Jeffrey Rusling's comments were indicative of everyone else's remarks.
"I have nothing but great things to say about Penn Police staff," he said. He added that officers had always been responsive and helpful in dealing with any security issues that have arisen at the store.
Two students attended the forum, the co-chairmen of the Penn Medical Emergency Response Team Initiative. They have been meeting frequently with the Chief of Police Tom Rambo and Deputy Chief of Police Michael Fink to discuss an effort to create a student response team to supplement professional staff at medical emergencies.
College freshman Andrew Mener read from a letter addressed to CALEA. The Police Department has "displayed a genuine concern for the well-being of the students at Penn."
Both Mener and College sophomore Paul Mattus, the other co-chairman, have been on ride-alongs with police, learning how police procedures apply to and affect their project.
"We've been learning about police methods and telling them about what we [would] do," Mattus said. "They seem very positive about our proposal."
One of the assessors is William New, who is the director of public safety at Charleston International Airport. New said he was impressed by everything he heard and had seen since starting the evaluation.
"I think I speak for my fellow assessors when I say we're not surprised [by the very positive comments] based on what we've seen," he said. "The public meeting is very representative of the Police Department's work in the community."
University Police officials said they were also pleased with the forum.
"I thought the forum was very positive," Rambo said. "The comments were reflective of the hard work the Penn Police does every day, and it really is a credit to the entire police department."
