Editorial | Monitoring the monitor

In response to the forced home invasion and sexual assaults of two Penn students in December, Penn's Division of Public Safety has begun to promote neighborhood and building safety via heightened landlord awareness and communication.

This program, currently called "Vertical Town Watch," has the potential to be an effective tool. The philosophy of neighbors watching after other neighbors has long been a cornerstone of many safe communities simply by promoting awareness of suspicious activity. And when the community is dealing with issues as serious and dangerous as assault, extra vigilance is both appreciated and necessary. The program's newer approach - using landlords to communicate with tenants, a process that is more intimate and direct than DPS going to students - could also be effective.

But the program needs to demonstrate two things before it can be called effective: First, landlords and DPS must commit to communication and find ways to keep student tenants involved and aware, even as the specter of December's threat dissipates with time. Prevention techniques like these only work as long as vigilance is on students' minds. Second, landlords must actively engage with student tenants - sliding flyers under doors isn't enough. This is an imperative message, but it's also one that is easy to ignore.

Organizing building meetings and get-togethers is one step; keeping students aware of building updates - another suggestion under Vertical Town Watch - is another method of keeping students aware of the potential for danger. This program will only survive with constant vigilance - of itself and of the neighborhood.

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