Penn Police chief: 'One crime is too much'

For 18 years, the Penn community has had its own personal Rambo to protect it.

Not the muscle-bound Sylvester Stallone, but instead the Philadelphia native and Chief of University Police Tom Rambo.

Rambo is very much a product of Penn, having grown up in the area and having started his career as a police officer with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department. He began as a simple patrol officer in 1986 and continued to rise steadily through the ranks until his 2001 appointment as chief of police.

Becoming an officer of the law was natural for Rambo, as he comes from a police background.

"I grew up in a law enforcement family," Rambo says. "My father is a retired police commander."

Ensuring the safety of the University is no easy job. As head of a college police department, Rambo faces a unique challenge, as thousands of new people enter and exit the student body every year.

"At the University, you're getting 25 percent or better of the population turning over," Rambo says. That imposes the "challenge of keeping a brand new crop of freshmen informed."

However, for the most part, he feels that students are doing their part to maintain their own safety by following simple guidelines and using common sense.

"I feel the vast majority of people in the community and the University City take appropriate safety measures," Rambo says. "They're well educated about public safety services, and that has certainly contributed to a safe environment."

Still, UPPD plays a vital role in maintaining security on campus. As one of the 15 largest police departments in Pennsylvania, it employs 99 sworn officers. And according to Rambo, the relative safety of the campus area owes much to their hard work.

"The men and women who are police officers, supervisors and detectives are of the finest caliber," Rambo says. "I have observed commitment from all divisions around the University on ensuring the safety of members of the community."

Students have demonstrated their appreciation for the University Police on several occasions. The Undergraduate Assembly has awarded several officers for their conduct.

Officers have also sat "on committees with students to assist on planning for events," Rambo says. "Floyd Johnson was given an award for directing traffic, showing he enjoys his job," he says, referring to the officer stationed outside the Penn Bookstore on 36th and Walnut streets who is known to dance while directing traffic.

With officers going beyonf their duties, many say Penn has become much safer in the past few years. And Rambo certainly has grounds to justify this belief.

Reported crime fell 14 percent between 2002 and 2003, with a significant reduction in the level of theft. So far this year, there have only been a couple of cases of assault on a Penn student.

"I'm pleased with the ability to maintain a reduction in crime," Rambo says.

And the Penn community is not the only one taking notice.

"One thing I find rewarding is that ... many law enforcement officials throughout the region ... frequently complimented us," Rambo says. "The University community is very supportive of [Vice President of Public Safety] Maureen Rush and the entire Division of Public Safety."

However encouraging the crime decline may be, Rambo promises that he will not contentedly rest on his laurels. Stomping down on crime levels remains the ultimate goal.

"One crime is too much," Rambo says. "I'm very proud, but that feeling is short-lived -- it's a journey, not a destination."

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