Semester stats show crime still a problem

It reads like a tally from a mobster movie -- 63 robberies, 10 aggravated assaults, an abduction and a rape. But these statistics are not from Scarface or The Godfather. Instead, they represent some of the 78 crimes against persons that have been recorded by University Police since the beginning of the semester through the middle of last month. But according to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, police have witnessed a decrease from last year in the number of crimes against persons on the University campus itself, although the number of campus thefts and burglaries have increased. To combat the crime, Kuprevich said last week that University Police have added six new officers over the course of the semester, issued crime alerts, and moved the plain clothes unit of the department to areas which have been most afflicted by crime. A tally of all crimes committed against persons occurring between 32nd and 43rd streets and Market and Baltimore streets reveals several trends: · Robbery comprises the majority of crimes against persons around the University area. During September, October and the first half of November, 31 of the 63 robberies were committed at gunpoint. · Students living directly west of the campus are more likely to be victimized by crime than students living north of Walnut Street or south of Spruce Street. Since the beginning of the academic year, 30 separate incidents of robbery or aggravated assault between 40th to 43rd streets and Walnut and Spruce streets have been reported to University or Philadelphia Police. · Not surprisingly, much of the robberies and assaults occur between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. · Increases in the amount of crime seem to have occurred during the first week of the academic year, the end of September and the beginning of October, and the end of October. But, according to Kuprevich, "if you would look in the surrounding community area, we have had no major crime trends." "We have certainly seen robbery incidents," Kuprevich said "The trends, if any, have seemed to be a lot of activity in a short period of time." Kuprevich said that at times during the semester, University Police have responded to "two or three" incidents in one particular area. "We might get two or three [incidents] committed by the same person or group in one particular area," Kuprevich said, adding that the location of incidents shifts as the groups or individuals choose new ground to commit crimes. Kuprevich said that another reason why crime statistics may seem high is because "we have more people reporting [crime] to us directly." University Police Lieutenant Joseph Weaver said last week that "crimes against persons have been more prevalent west of 40th Street during this semester." One reason for the increase in reports of crimes, Weaver said, is because of an increased University Police visibility on and around campus and a significant increase in crime reporting to the University. Weaver said that University Police have increased their visibility through greater "interaction with the community." In the past, Kuprevich said, if Philadelphia Police responded to an incident in the University community, then University Police did not always write up a report for the incident. "We are getting information so that we can pass on the information [to the community]," Kuprevich said. "Our officers have been much more careful [in how they record information]." Kuprevich said that, while crime may seem to be running rampant this year, University police are "seeing more reports of crime occurring on the fringe of the community from 43rd Street out," rather than any increase in crime immediately west of the University. "There has been [a lot] of crime just west of the University," Kuprevich said. "But I can't say that it is any more than before." Kuprevich cited several new initiatives the University has taken to combat crime around the University community. "Certainly, the doubling of our police force [last spring] is something we have maintained," Kuprevich said, adding that the University has replaced several officers who left the force during the semester. Victim Support and Crime Prevention Services have also been augmented by the assignment of three police officers, Kuprevich said. He added that the additional Crime Prevention officers have helped to improve community awareness of crime, because the officers are able to distribute information about safety. And Kuprevich pointed to an cooperative initiative between University police and West Philadelphia neighbors to improve off-campus lighting. One officer, Kuprevich said, has worked with community leaders to document specific areas which most need public lighting. Kuprevich also cited the possibility of placing additional blue-light phones, which signal the location of an emergency, at off-campus locations where University Police normally patrol. The University Police have been helped by the addition of new recruits who have completed their work at the Philadelphia Police Academy and their 17-week training period, and are now patrolling the University community on their own. The addition to the Crime Alerts, bulletins issued by University Police immediately after a major incident or a crime wave, have been part of the department's effort "to educate the community," Kuprevich said. Finally, University Police have used the department's plain clothes unit, called the Crime Abatement Team, to combat crime waves in specific areas of the University community. The CAT team works "days when we have bicycle thefts and nights when we have had robberies," Kuprevich said. "We have used them as the force that moves to stop that particular trend from continuing." "We have a commitment to the University and the University community area," Kuprevich said. "We are going to maintain that commitment, and work with Philadelphia." According to Kuprevich, now is not the time to build a wall between the University and it's neighbors. "No one I've seen is playing turf wars," Kuprevich maintained "This problem did not occur overnight."

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