March crime rose 66 percent

Crime rates this March rose by approximately 66 percent as compared to last March’s statistics, according to data provided by the Division of Public Safety.

Year-to-date data indicates that crime rates have undergone an overall increase of 34 percent compared to the same period last year.

As a category, “crimes against persons,” or violent crime, exhibited a 75-percent increase, rising from eight incidents reported last March to 14 reported last month.

Three cases of robbery were reported last month, as compared to two reports of robbery filed last March.

The number of assaults reported more than doubled, as six more simple assault incidents — which involve less severe injury than aggravated assaults — were reported last month than in March 2009.

According to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush, four of the eight assaults reported involved police officers on duty and two were attacks on medical personnel at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The other two incidents occurred between individuals who knew one another.

Of all crimes against property, burglary saw the most significant percentage increase, rising from one case reported in March 2009 to six reported last month.

Rush emphasized the correlation between the rise in crime rates and heightened opportunity for criminal activity during the spring semester.

“We tend to have problems at this time of year because students are preoccupied with exams, spring break and Spring Fling,” she said.

She urged students to make an active effort toward “target-hardening” the campus by remaining aware of their possessions at all times and not leaving items unattended.

Rush further cautioned against the practice of “piggybacking” — permitting an individual without a PennCard to enter a building after one has swiped in — which is thought to have caused several burglaries on campus.

If students encounter someone attempting to piggyback, Rush said, they are under no obligation to confront the individual.

“We invite 511 calls from students informing us that someone just came into a building behind them with no PennCard [and] they’re on the first floor,” Rush said. “When we get those calls, a police officer will go immediately to that location to check it out.”

In addition, Penn Police has deployed “extensive tactical teams” to monitor problem areas in collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Department, according to Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey.

Thus far, DPS is in the process of pursuing and arresting about 45 individuals who routinely commit unattended property thefts in University City and travel to the suburbs to make purchases with stolen credit cards, Dorsey said.

He added that DPS is “aggressively pursuing” an individual suspected of instigating a number of burglaries on campus, and that another key arrest was recently made near 34th and Chestnut streets as a result of the increased police presence.

Security and surveillance near 42nd and Pine streets and Baltimore Avenue have also been enhanced to address the rise in theft from automobiles reported in the area.

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