Letters to the Editor

Disingenuous To the Editor: The Daily Pennsylvanian's most recent editorial ("Putting PR Above Safety," DP, 11/22/06) is an incredibly disingenuous and sensationalistic statement that has had the unfortunate effect of obfuscating the substantive issue involved: victim privacy. The editorial staff claims that, by not providing victim status - i.e. student, staff or faculty - "the Division of Public Safety . is making you less safe," one of several vacuous and socially unscientific conclusions drawn. DPS officials have shared with the DP the reasons for not including specific victim status (beyond affiliation or non-affiliation with the University), which stems from an effort to protect crime victims from harassment and further trauma recreated by the press. As per all legal reporting requirements, the DP has always had access to comprehensive incident-specific information 24/7 via our information kiosk or in person. The real PR machine here stems not from Public Safety but from the DP editorial staff, whose campaign has only served to generate misinformation and ill-will. DPS will now provide student, staff and faculty affiliation with the University. We challenge the DP to use this information responsibly and in a manner that respects the privacy and emotional safety of all crime victims, irrespective of their affiliation within the University.

Maureen Rush The author is Penn's vice president for public safety Door alarms To the Editor: I walked around campus with a classmate to see new buildings the day after Thanksgiving. The tour was thrilling, landscape was sharp, potential for postal lands exciting but we were surprised at the lack of response to the three alarms we set off accidently. As we entered and exited the building leading to the Skirkanich Building, door alarms went off twice, but no one showed up during the 15 minutes we looked at the architecture. Later, we opened the office door at the Rotunda building and its alarm went off. Outside on Walnut Street were a Penn patrol car and policeman and a Philadelphia policeman, and neither did a thing in spite of how loud the alarm was. We passed two other campus police officers around the corner on 40th Street, who could certainly hear the alarm, too. No one responded. No one even looked up.

Gardner Cadwalader Philadelphia resident

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