[UC] UCD crime increase

[Ben Rhoades]

William H. Magill
Tue, 18 Jan 2005 12:26:28 -0800
Has there been?

I have not seen any increase in crime in the past several
years.
Quite the contrary, from my point of view, it has decreased
significantly.
And have seen no crime take place in the past 60 days.
As for a recent spate of crime, I would suggest that crime statistics
follow two patterns -- the movement of the student population and the
weather. The "perps" know quite well that students, Freshmen
especially, trust everyone and carry lots of valuables with them.
Similarly, muggers, the flim-flam folk and like much prefer to
"hang" in warm weather (like during the past month) than in
cold weather like we are currently experiencing.


Well William, apparently Penn disagrees with you.  Now, I don't know
how accurate they are but they say there was a 15% increase in 2004 vs.
2003.  However, they do make sure to mention that it's not just in
West Philly but across the entire city.  
I'm surprised no one mentioned this.  

http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/4201ceb33bb24?in_archive=1

Police combat slight rise in University City crime 
By alanna kaufman
February 3, 2005
Six apparently unrelated robberies have led to 13 arrests in University
City since the start of 2005. Of them, only one remains unresolved,
police said.
"In the immediate vicinity of the West Philadelphia community,
robberies are up," Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey said.
In response, police continue to adjust patrol distribution and increase
security around campus.
Four of the robberies -- which have all occurred since Jan. 25 -- were
committed against Penn community members, while the other two occurred at
local restaurants Mad 4 Mex and Cosi earlier in the month. The Cosi
robbery is the one unsolved crime.
Police have found no connections between any of the crimes.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said the crimes are
indicative of an increasing trend in robberies throughout
Philadelphia.
"Unfortunately, there is a rise in robberies across the city,"
she said.
Philadelphia crime statistics for 2004 are not yet available
publicly.
Penn Police reported 65 total robberies in 2004, marking a 15 percent
increase over the 57 reported in 2003. 
However, robberies are down 50 percent from 1996, when crime was at its
highest in University City.
Dorsey said police are working proactively to combat the rising robbery
rates.
"We do two things," Dorsey said. "We change assignments
and move people around, and we deploy more people. We attack it on two
sides."
He said that police efforts have been successful, since arrests have been
made in five of the six cases.
Police are also fighting an increase in teenage crime, Rush said. Of the
13 arrests this year, five were individuals under 18 years old.
"Social scientists have predicted an increase in juvenile crime for
the past 10 years," Rush said. "And now it is
here."
Rush recommends that students remain cautious while outside and refrain
from walking alone late at night. However, she does not advise staying
inside for fear of being robbed.
"Back in '96 and '97 when crime was going through the roof, people
were scared of the streets, and we don't want that to happen," she
said. 
-Ben


----
You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
.