Crime pattern threatens safety at La Salle

By Erin Brodbeck
Collegian Editor
December 6, 2006

Students have gotten used to being greeted with a Security alert or two when logging into the mylasalle portal on any given day. Over the past few months, however, students have been attacked and robbed by individuals in the neighborhood surrounding La Salle more frequently than usual.

A Nov. 28 Security alert on the portal announced that a member of the staff at Treetops Café was assaulted on Olney Avenue near the Philadelphia Girls’ High School the day before. On Nov. 29, another alert told of two separate incidents in which commuter students were attacked and robbed, one in the 2100 block of Chew Avenue and the other outside the Manor Apartments.

“The incidents on Chew and at the Manor were most likely unrelated, since they happened a half hour apart,” Assistant Director of Security Dennis Graeber said.

However, the crimes that have been taking place around La Salle follow a specific pattern. The victim is always alone and is outnumbered by the attackers, weapons are never used and the victim is usually followed and then physically assaulted before having valuables stolen.

In the incident involving a commuter student walking on Chew who was punched and had his cell phone taken, an arrest was made. The male who was arrested admitted to committing the crime, and the cell phone was returned. The man also confessed to being responsible for a number of crimes committed around the area.

Security arranged to bring in Philadelphia Police and detectives Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. to meet with student victims in order to conduct interviews to assist with their investigation.

“The police and detectives developed a strong lead, and they brought in photos to show the students who had been attacked,” Graeber said.

Although investigators were hoping to obtain useful information from the victims, not enough of the students attended the interviews for them to come to a conclusion.

“I’m a little embarrassed by this,” Graeber said. “We really wanted to help the students by bringing the investigators in.”

Security continues to encourage students to avoid walking around campus alone, especially at night, and to utilize the shuttle and escort services in order to stay safe.

brodbecke1@lasalle.edu