DPS urges Greek house safety

With the end of rush last week and the beginning of a new pledging season, there will be a large amount of traffic in and out of Greek houses.

But in light of the wave of thefts that hit fraternity houses in the late summer and early part of last semester, potential residents could be harboring concerns about the general safety of Penn's chapter houses.

Burglaries were up 25 percent last year, with incidents in fraternity houses accounting for much of this sharp increase.

Capt. Joseph Fischer, who acts as a special liaison between the Division of Public Safety and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said that by the middle of last semester, many fraternity-house residents had become lax about security.

Officers assigned to patrol the areas around fraternity and sorority houses would often find doors unlocked and ground floor windows open through the night, Fischer said.

As a result, DPS expressed its concern about the security situation in chapter houses to OFSA soon after the beginning of fall semester, and a series of new measures were put in place to ensure safety.

These included regular checks by Penn Police on chapter houses 24 hours a day and a heightened level of vigilance at times when the properties are empty, such as over Thanksgiving and winter breaks.

In addition to this, one key individual in the thefts was apprehended. On Oct. 10, 2008, Jerry Porter, 38, was arrested on four counts of burglary, with two of these charges alleged to have taken place at a fraternity house.

Porter had a history of targeting the Penn Greek community, having been imprisoned in 2006 for burglarizing a Penn fraternity.

"This arrest was an example of the whole Penn community working together," Penn Chief of Police Mark Dorsey said. "Through the use of video patrols, consultation with eye witnesses and cooperation with student organizations we were able to address a problem that plagues our community."

Fischer had clear advice for those currently living in a chapter house and those considering it: "Whatever locks you have, use them," he said. "An extra 10 seconds making sure a door is secure could save you and the other residents a lot of problems."

Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said DPS' focus on security in fraternity and sorority houses is all part of the bigger safety picture.

In a community such as this where students change residences each year, Rush stressed that they need to get to know the people who live in their buildings and those who lives around them.

"Whether it's a fraternity house or a regular building, that way it is immediately obvious to everyone if there is someone around who isn't meant to be there," she said.

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