Summer crime down from last year

Total crime on and near campus for the summer months is down from last year.

Crimes from May through August in the Penn Patrol zone, which extends from 30th Street to 43rd Street and from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue, dropped from 285 reported incidents in 2008 to 267 in 2009 — a decrease of 6.32 percent.

Total violent crime, such as assault and robbery, is down 21.21 percent from the summer of 2008.

Robberies decreased from 19 in 2008 to eight this year, while sex assaults increased from one in 2008 to four in 2009 so far.

Aggravated assaults also increased from five last year to seven this year. However, Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Stef Cella pointed out, four of this summer’s reported aggravated assaults came from one incident on August 28, in which a man allegedly sprayed lighter fluid on four people and attempted to set them on fire with a lighter at 40th and Market streets.

No one involved was affiliated with the University, no one was injured, and all involved parties were known to one another. Penn Police officers identified and arrested the suspect and recovered the lighter and lighter fluid.

Crimes against property also experienced an overall decrease from last summer to this summer, from 252 reported incidents last year to 241 this year.

Theft from automobiles increased from 38 last summer to 53 this summer, while bicycle thefts decreased from 44 last summer to 34 this summer.

Cella said that DPS will continue to “aggressively market” its theft awareness program, launched in the spring of 2008, and encourage students, faculty and staff to secure bicycles with U-locks rather than cable locks.

A summary of the summer crime statistics not previously mentioned:

No homicides were reported this summer, while one was reported in summer 2008.

Six simple assaults were reported in both 2008 and 2009.

One purse was reported stolen in both 2008 and 2009.

Burglaries dropped from 22 last year to 20 this year.

There were no reported incidents of arson in 2008 or 2009.

Three auto thefts were reported in 2008, compared to two in 2009.

Thefts from buildings remained nearly constant: 66 were reported this year and 65 were reported last year.

33 retail thefts were reported in 2009, compared to 31 last year, and other thefts dropped from 49 in 2008 to 33 in 2009.

All information was provided by the Department of Public Safety.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.