Penn increased its police presence on campus following a deadly shooting at Brown University.
In statements to The Daily Pennsylvanian, the University’s Division of Public Safety wrote that it is “actively monitoring” the situation. The decision comes amid heightened security measures at other Ivy League institutions — including Yale University, Harvard University, and Columbia University — in the aftermath of the shooting.
DPS added that the division “continues to have an increased police presence on campus,” and that “the presence will remain as long as needed,” in a statement to the DP.
According to an email sent to the Brown community, the shooting — which took place between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 — resulted in the death of at least two students and injury to nine others. Police detained a person of interest on Dec. 14, but they were later released. As of publication, the shooter remains at large.
In a Dec. 14 email to the University community, Penn President Larry Jameson wrote that Penn’s leadership was closely following the situation at Brown and emphasized the availability of campus resources for community support and wellness.
“I was devastated to learn of the tragic shooting on the Brown University campus last night,” Jameson wrote. “While details are still evolving, our hearts go out to their entire community during this profoundly difficult time.”
Over the past few years, Penn has expanded its building security as part of the Operation Building Safe initiative. OBS-compliant buildings — which comprise the majority of Penn’s campus — have main entrances staffed with a security officer who is “responsible for greeting guests, offering PennCard access, and/or operating an intercom that grants guest access” during the building’s hours of operation.
According to a document from DPS in 2022, OBS-compliant buildings allow officers to “quickly secure” buildings in the case of an active threat.
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At a Dec. 16 press conference, Brown University President Christina Paxson stated that Brown has two security systems that can be activated during an emergency. The first — an outdoor siren — is not used during active shooting situations because it could cause people to “rush” into buildings, she said.
The other, according to Paxson, is a system that “sends out text messages, phone calls, emails,” and “was activated within minutes of the incident” — sending messages to around 20,000 University-affiliated individuals.
“It depends on the circumstances and where the active shooter would be, but you don’t ever want to get people rushing into buildings that might be the site of an active shooting,” Paxson added.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told CNN on Saturday that the doors to the building where the shooting took place were unlocked due to final exams, and that “anyone could have entered the building” during that time.
Although the building was open, school officials said that students were still required to scan badges to access specific classrooms and laboratories.
