AlliedBarton Helps Reduce Crime Substantially at the University of Pennsylvania
Situation
When it comes to a highly effective, flexible and collaborative security program for a college campus, the University of Pennsylvania’s model for campus security stands out as one of the most successful in the nation. A key success factor to the University’s plan to maintain a safe environment for more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff is its partnership with AlliedBarton Security Services to perform a host of tasks that allow Penn’s Police Department to focus on their primary responsibilities of law enforcement. AlliedBarton has been a security partner with the University of Pennsylvania since 1996, when the Ivy League university in Philadelphia expanded the traditionally passive security officer assignments for campus facilities to an unprecedented tactical operation of providing patrol services on- and off-campus. Now, more than a decade since the pioneering campus security effort was established, the security partnership aimed at creating more visibility for security on and around campus has not only reduced crime, but is ever-changing, and ever-responsive to the needs on- and off-campus today.
Challenge
In 2005, an increase in robberies on the fringes of the campus called for more effective measures to stem the increase in crime. For AlliedBarton, the challenge was to maximize both deployment and visibility. Working as a team with Penn’s top law enforcement officials, AlliedBarton’s leadership group devised several changes to meet these goals.
Solution
The University, in consultation with AlliedBarton, responded in a big way. Maureen Rush, Vice President for Public Safety, and her Division for Public Safety Leadership Team created Operation SAFE, backed by a pledge of $5 million from Penn President Amy Gutmann to fight crime around campus. New procedures established by AlliedBarton included:
- Reconfiguring patrol sectors
- Creating new fixed posts at designated locations on campus
- Changing uniforms from Penn’s colors to a highly visible neon yellow
- Equipping bike officers with blinking lights for visibility
- Increasing the number of security officers by over 50 percent
- Expanding patrol hours and tiered shifts
- Adding new environmentally friendly electric security patrol vehicles
- Increasing AlliedBarton’s patrol coverage area
- Obtaining increased coverage by the Philadelphia Police Department Increasing and improving lighting
- Expanding the network of closed-circuit television coverage
- Improving communication and education for students and the community
Result
The added visibility and expanded patrols helped to reduce crime in 2006 in the Penn area. That pattern has been maintained ever since. The new crime incidents map on Rush’s desk shows Penn’s campus and surrounding area as an island of relative safety. Red dots indicating where crimes were committed are minimal in the Penn area, but take on the look of a severe case of measles in the surrounding areas of the city. Compared to 2005, the year 2006 showed a 22 percent decrease in robberies in the Penn patrol zone. The safety factor naturally extends into the community. The University has been very successful in recent years in creating incentives to encourage employees to move into the areas surrounding campus. They, like other residents, appreciate the added visibility of the yellow-clad AlliedBarton security officers. Their presence provides the security and peace of mind they need for safe and friendly neighborhoods for young and old alike. With Penn now planning for the eastern expansion of its campus, the partnership with AlliedBarton will take on even greater significance. The company will be adding major responsibilities with the larger patrol area. AlliedBarton’s experience at the University of Pennsylvania proves that private security serves as a critical element of a successful campus security program. While techniques and procedures are always changing and dynamic to meet challenging situations, the cooperative partnership between AlliedBarton and Penn’s Division of Public Safety sustains itself through mutual respect, professionalism and pride.
Click for PDF