Letting it slide: Crimes often go unreported

When one Penn freshman had her coat stolen at a bar last month, she was understandably upset.

Only 19, the student faced a choice: Either bite the bullet and report the crime - and face the consequences for underage drinking - or kiss her $150 jacket goodbye.

"I was so pissed," said the student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "But I didn't see what I could do."

That sentiment seems to be widespread for students who find themselves in a similar position. In February, a group of four students reportedly had their coats taken at MarBar but did not report the crime.

And Penn Police officials say there's just not much they can do.

Division of Public Safety Karima Zedan spokeswoman said that an "amnesty" policy - similar to the one offered by University officials to students who are in danger of alcohol poisoning - is not an option for police.

"As a law enforcement agency, it would actually be illegal" if DPS were to adopt such a policy, she said.

At the same time, Zedan said that all cases would be dealt with "on a case by case basis," and that both she and Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey strongly encourage anyone victimized by crime to report it.

"No crime is insignificant to us," Zedan said.

Another reason people do not report crime is that they believe that nothing can be done to catch the perpetrator.

In February, for example, College senior Aaron Rock told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he had been attacked by two men. Following the incident, he did not report the assault to police because he could not give a full description of the suspect and felt that doing so would be pointless.

Although Dorsey would not reveal statistics for the number of thefts that are solved, he admitted that the figures are very low, but that Penn Police are "above average."

In many theft cases, like a laptop being taken, there is very little evidence, but Dorsey said that all incidents reported to the DPS receive a full investigation, and that people should not assume that their problems cannot be dealt with.

Overall, Dorsey said unreported crime can become a problem because police use figures for crime to decide how to use their resources most effectively. If crime goes unreported, he said, then they cannot deal with recurring problems.

"If we don't know something, we can't address it," Dorsey said.

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