Staff Editorial: Bringing safety back to campus

Over the past few years, with crime steadily decreasing not only in West Philadelphia, but all across the city, Penn students have been able to walk around the campus at all hours without thinking twice about security. The University has successfully shed the "unsafe" moniker it had earned as late as the mid-1990s, even as students continue to move farther beyond the main campus.

But the recent surge in robberies on and around campus threatens to undo the hard work done by University officials and Penn Police officers over the past 10 years. A string of muggings on Spruce Street -- totaling 15 within the last month, including one that occurred directly across from the Quad -- has brought safety concerns right back to the forefront of campus discussion.

Obviously, everyone involved recognizes that this issue must be dealt with immediately. Students and parents are rightfully starting to question security around campus, especially since no arrests have been made in these robberies as of yet. In addition, at a time when high school seniors are visiting colleges, Penn officials do not want to be fielding questions from parents of would-be students about the safety of their children on campus.

The Penn Police Department is taking steps to bolster security on and around campus, with the addition of more uniformed and plain-clothed officers and security cameras to help deter and catch potential criminals. These are steps that, if employed correctly, will hopefully help to bring a sense of safety back to the area.

But we cannot stress enough the importance of increasing security as quickly and as broadly as possible. Not only are more officers needed during late night and early morning hours, but their presence is needed far beyond 40th Street.

We are not blaming the UPPD for this crime spree, because it is clear that they are making a concerted effort to provide the best security that they can. For the sake of students, faculty, staff and area residents, though, something significant must be done before a robbery turns ugly.

We hope the UPPD takes strong enough measures to bring this string of robberies to a permanent halt. The last thing the University needs is a return to the days when this campus was not safe after the sun went down.

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