Juvenile crime wave subsides

A string of robberies and assaults committed by juveniles occurred around campus at the beginning of July, but the violent crimes appear to have abated over the past two weeks.

The most recent assault reported to have been committed by juveniles in the Penn patrol zone occurred on July 11. Penn and Philadelphia police officials said a visible police presence and community awareness have contributed to the drop in violent juvenile crime.

Would-be juvenile criminals are "feeling heat from the police and the community," Sgt. Charles Layton of the Philadelphia Police said. "They're realizing everyone's aware of the situation."

Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey cited an increased police presence as a key step in reducing juvenile crime.

The department has been deploying additional covert and overt officers to "saturate our patrol zone and increase our visibility," Dorsey said in a statement.

Dorsey and Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Karima Zedan added that CCTV cameras provide additional surveillance to alert police to potential crime.

The cameras are utilized in a manner "similar to active police patrol," in which operators observe targeted areas and communicate with police about suspicious activity, Zedan said.

Though the violent crime has largely stopped, police say a number of juveniles have been cited for curfew violations, city ordinances and theft and have been questioned for loitering, since mid-July.

Zedan said it's not known if any of these juveniles are connected with the robberies and assaults, but Penn Police are working with Philadelphia Police and the juvenile probation and parole departments to examine the crimes and share information about the offenders.

Juveniles arrested for curfew violations are taken to the curfew center near 65th Street and Woodland Avenue. Police contact the Youth Study Center, Philadelphia's detention center for juvenile delinquents, concerning juveniles arrested for crimes other than city ordinance or curfew violations, and further action is dependent on various factors, including previous criminal history.

Layton added that he has noticed changes in the behavior of pedestrians since the juvenile crime wave became well-publicized. He said he sees more people traveling in groups, rather than individually, which generally makes criminals more hesitant to approach them.

Both Layton and Zedan encouraged students to continue to stay alert when walking outside.

"The best victim" for a criminal, Layton said, "is the unaware victim."

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