Stephen Krewson | Not the right attitude

About a month ago, I wrote a column in response to the shootings outside Koko Bongo nightclub, in which dozens of shots were fired and one person was killed. My outrage was directed primarily at Penn's Division of Public Safety. I accused them of being misguided and failing to do enough to protect students.

In retrospect, many of the things I said were sophomoric. People called me a ranting utopian. DPS fired back a detailed, strongly worded letter in response. Even my mother told me that I had probably bitten off more than I could chew. The main objection was that I failed to recognize what Maureen Rush, vice president of DPS, terms "the depth and breadth of the portfolio of responsibilities falling under the University of Pennsylvania Police Department." Fair enough. I admit that I am eminently unqualified to spout off about the operations of the Penn Police.

But consider what has occurred since then. Club Wizzards, also at 38th and Chestnut, witnessed a gunfight that claimed two lives. A female student was raped in her off-campus apartment, and a security guard exposed himself to a student right outside her residence.

Maureen Rush herself referred to the situation as "a perfect storm." Compared to last year, crime is up 6 percent; crime in November increased by 20 percent over last year. Still, Rush said she was "pleased to see that the number of robberies that occurred within the Penn Patrol zone in both November and the year to date has decreased." There were 69 robberies at this date in 2006 - there have been 67 this year. Rejoice!

The perfect stoicism displayed by the University administration would make even Seneca or Marcus Aurelius blush with shame. This past week, Penn spokeswomen Lori Doyle referred to crime - even the substantial amount committed by students - as "inevitable," adding that "it's going to take a lot more than a few negative media stories to make a dent on [the University's] reputation."

But if we keep insisting that crime is part and parcel of living on an urban campus, then we shouldn't be surprised if Penn receives fewer applications or lower rankings. "Urban" doesn't have to be synonymous with "dangerous."

But that's exactly what we're saying when we explain away crime as an unavoidable consequence of our location - or mere chance.

This attitude is flat-out wrong and gets little sympathy outside the University bubble. Just look at what happened to Billy King, former general manager of the 76ers. With the team he built, mired at the bottom of the NBA's Atlantic Division, King was fired and replaced with Ed Stefanski, a Wharton grad who played basketball under Chuck Daly in the 70s. A GM depends on the performance of a multitude of other people: the owner, his coach, other GMs, opposing teams and the players he has chosen. At the tipoff, the outcome of the game is largely out of his control. Same for campus security. It's true that crime is outside of their control; but the buck still stops with them.

I'd like someone to put him or herself out on the line, to set a goal of reducing crime by next year - not by heroic numbers - but enough to make Penn incrementally safer. When former University president Judith Rodin left the office in 2004, police officer Fred Carbonara was quoted in the DP as saying, "There's always room for improvement, but [Amy Gutmann] shouldn't regress. We have been making many strides. Crime has decreased in the four years I've been here."

Well, we most certainly have regressed.

I am aware that crime is cyclical - that it is influenced by the economy, the weather, broken windows, gun laws, the cost of drugs, the Eagles' losses, etc. And yes, I know that the criminals are ultimately responsible for their misdeeds.

But where is the determination to lower crime? The audacity to hope that crime can be stopped? Give me the person who is unafraid to say: "crime has and will continue to occur in my jurisdiction, but I find it unacceptable. I take responsibility and will work harder." Is that too much to ask?

Stephen Krewson is a College sophomore from Schenectady, NY. His e-mail is krewson@dailypennsylvanian.com. The Partian Shot appears on Fridays.

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