In a year of violence, Penn's an 'island of safety'

Four-hundred-six is the number on the minds of most Philadelphians, but only the number two concerns Penn Division of Public Safety officials.

Philadelphia saw 406 homicides in 2006, an increase of 27 from last year and the city's highest murder rate since 1997.

But of all the citywide murders, only two came from Penn's patrol zone - and while both experts and DPS officials say that fact is a reflection of Penn's commitment to having an active and visible police force, DPS officials are still not content.

"We've been fortunate to only have two homicides," Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. "But are we satisfied? Absolutely not. We don't want to have any crime, ever."

But crime experts, DPS officials and students alike have all deemed the Penn Police an active and noticeable force in preventing and solving crimes.

"Penn is an island of safety in a sea of crime," Criminology professor Lawrence Sherman said.

Sherman added that Penn Police's risk-based patrol assignments - which analyze the crime risk in an area to determine deployment - are "probably the most important thing you can do in policing."

He said that, because of this strategy, "it would seem that the University of Pennsylvania Police Department is more systematically deployed than the Philadelphia Police is in general."

For DPS officials, the visibility of Penn Police has successfully served as a deterrent to would-be criminals.

"Perhaps we have sent a message out to people to not commit those kinds of crimes here," Rush said.

But Rush added that, while targeted police patrols are "vital" to improving safety, they may not be particularly helpful in stopping non-random crimes.

Rush said that "attacking the root causes of violence," such as poverty and the amount of support from social services, "will be much more effective in combating the reasons why people are drawn to violence as a means to resolve their problems."

The Philadelphia Police Commissioner was not available for comment.

George Rengert, a Criminal Justice professor at Temple University, said campus police forces generally deploy more personnel per square foot than city police forces and are more successful as a result.

"In that case, [campuses] are more highly patrolled by far," he said.

Students did not seem alarmed by the 2006 murder count, especially on and around campus.

"Coming to school in a big city, I was well aware of the crime rate, and I still feel very secure on campus," College sophomore Brooke Boyarsky said.

She added that she feels safer at Penn than in other areas of the city because of the "more visible police on campus."

College sophomore Minjoo Kweon said a combination of security and sensibility keeps Penn students safe.

"Students don't really go anywhere that's unsafe," she said. "If you're smart, you don't need to worry."

The victims of the two murders that occurred in the Penn patrol area in 2006 were both unaffiliated with the University. A man was killed in the trolley station near 37th and Spruce streets on May 16, and another male was killed Dec. 24 on the 3900 block of Market Street.

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