SpectaGuard to handle all U. security

In an effort to improve campus safety, the company will replace the contractors employed by individual schools. The SpectaGuard Security Company will assume responsibilities for security in all University facilities, Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon announced yesterday. SpectaGuard will designate more than 175 guards for campus, replacing the several security contractors now employed by individual schools, said Chris Algard, who directs security services for the University. Additionally, the company will station a vice president, two account managers and a full-time trainer on campus, according to SpectaGuard President Bill Whitmore. Algard said the SpectaGuard contract will cost the University about the $4.6 million it already pays for the different companies. He said the other security companies have been notified that their contracts will end, and a letter explaining the situation will be sent to individual guards as well. A transition date will not be released until after the guards are notified, Algard added. Administrators said they hope employing SpectaGuard will improve campus safety. "Partnering with one of the leading security providers in the country enables us to collectively improve campus safety and the quality of life at Penn," Executive Vice President John Fry said. Unification of security services under one provider is a key provision of Seamon's master plan for campus security, released last March. Seamon said yesterday that a single security service provider would allow for better integration of safety and security systems. "Experience shows that guard personnel and University Police, working side by side, forge an effective working relationship that greatly benefits the overall security program," Seamon said. Representatives from areas of the University that employ security guards met last June to evaluate their current security contracts and identified SpectaGuard as the best service provider. "SpectaGuard has extensive experience with both educational institutions and the health care industry, and maintains the highest standards of professional performance," Fry said. Whitmore cited SpectaGuard's use of cutting-edge technology such as computerized instant reporting and data tracking as a further benefit of employing the company. Currently, individual schools within the University employ more than 200 security personnel from five different companies. Each school has different pay structures and overhead rates. Allied Security Service is the largest provider, employing more than 75 guards at the University since August 1994. SpectaGuard -- a campus presence since the early 1980s -- is employed by the Wharton School, the Dental School, the Steinberg Group, the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Arthur Ross Gallery. SpectaGuards also handle crowd control at Franklin Field and the Palestra. And the University hired 10 more SpectaGuards in October to patrol the area west of 40th Street in response to a high number of crimes earlier this fall

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