U. selects new head of police

Seamon to leave Phila. Police Deputy Philadelphia Police Commissioner Thomas Seamon was named managing director of the Division of Public Safety last week after a three-month search. He will replace University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, who resigned in April to pursue other career options. Seamon will begin his work at the University on September 25. A 26-year Philadelphia Police veteran, Seamon currently holds the number two spot with the department. He is responsible for the direct command of 5,000 personnel within the patrol, special patrol, detective and civil affairs bureau. Executive Vice President John Fry, who led the search for Kuprevich's replacement, called Seamon an ideal choice. "I think he walks a good line between someone that is obviously a police person and has grown up in that environment and someone that really has a good sense of working with various constituencies and respecting them," he said. Fry said he read more than 120 applications for the position and consulted with former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Tucker to formulate his goals for the search. The search was narrowed down to 12 candidates in July. And The Summer Pennsylvanian reported last month that Seamon and Rutgers University-Camden Chief of Police Gene Dooley were the two finalists for the position. Seamon, 48, said he is prepared for the challenges that await him at the University and is not worried about moving from the fourth largest police department in the country to a campus force that has about 80 officers. "I think my whole career in some respects has prepared me for the job at Penn," he said. "The Penn security apparatus, police department and private security systems could be a model for the whole region." Prior to becoming deputy police commissioner, Seamon was a patrol officer, inspector and chief inspector with the city. He was also acting police commissioner when then-commissioner Willie Williams left his post in 1992. During his tenure with the Philadelphia Police, Seamon helped develop the department's community policing strategy and problem-oriented philosophy. He created the Career Services Division to aid in career development for officers and helped establish initiatives between police and private security, specifically the Center City District. Paul Levy, an urban studies lecturer and executive director of the Center City District, said Seamon was instrumental in improving security downtown. "He is innovative and open to doing things in a different way," Levy said. "He has the respect of people within the police department and also the respect of people in the business community." Although Seamon does not officially begin his position until the end of September, he said he plans to meet with officers, University officials and student groups before then to become better informed of University policies and procedures. While the transition to University life seems daunting, he stressed that he is not a newcomer to academic environments. He currently teaches a course in law enforcement management at St. Joseph's University Graduate School and he was administrative lieutenant for the city's Police Academy. Kuprevich, who will remain in his post until Seamon starts, was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment.

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