Since the Division of Public Safety’s theft awareness campaign was first launched in 2008, thefts reported on campus have dropped by 15.7 percent.
This marks the second consecutive year in which reported thefts across all categories have dropped, according to Penn Police Capt. Joe Fischer.
“In crime you generally see a decrease one year and an increase the year after,” Fischer said, adding that the consistent decline in theft rates can be linked to DPS’s awareness campaign.
Jon Kassa, executive director of the nonprofit safety organization Security on Campus, confirmed that while it is difficult to judge the efficacy of campus theft-awareness campaigns in general, the reduction can most likely be attributed to the campaign “if the drop in numbers has accompanied an increase in awareness, education and patrols.”
He added that given its urban location, the University is “probably … ahead of the curve when it comes to making students aware they could be easy victims for this type of crime.”
A collaborative effort between DPS and students, staff and faculty members at Penn, the campaign involves distributing posters and flyers to remind students to secure their possessions around campus and assigning detectives to College Houses, fraternities and sororities to educate residents on theft prevention, in addition to conducting safety sessions at various other venues.
DPS also runs a “building administration supervisory zone” program in which every supervisor is assigned to a building or zone throughout campus with which to maintain constant communication, according to Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey.
“We’ll go through and check buildings, work on vulnerable locations and walk through different venues that have large congregations to see if there are materials left aside,” Dorsey said, characterizing the campaign as one of “cooperation education.”
“Dealing with unattended theft is not just an individual thing,” he explained. “The community as a whole has to look out for their neighbors and make sure they’re helping each other out.”
Dorsey further emphasized that the possibility of theft is not limited to the Penn campus.
“The same problems are also occurring in Center City and at commercial establishments within our environment,” he said.
To address these issues, Penn Police officers pay daily visits to all commercial establishments within University City to sign each store’s police log, communicate with store owners and “look for anything out of the ordinary.”
DPS Director of Communication Mitch Yanak added that the DPS also conducts extensive crime mapping that indicates the locations of all crimes reported and distributes the maps to AlliedBarton security personnel and police officers so they are informed about where theft and other crimes are most likely to occur.
Currently, “hot spots” for theft include libraries, retail establishments and other heavily congested areas.
DPS spokeswoman Stef Cella advised students to keep their belongings with them at all times while visiting such locations.
“It takes one second for someone to shut [your] laptop and walk away with it,” she said.
