(Philadelphia) March 1, 2019 – La Salle University (“La Salle” or the “University”) today announced the launch of a Public Safety Action Plan (the “Plan”) in response to an unusual uptick in off-campus incidents involving students in recent weeks.

“The safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors is our top priority,” said Dawn Soufleris, Ph.D., vice president, Division of Student Affairs. “This Public Safety Action Plan was designed to strengthen all aspects of public safety in response to what’s been an unexpected and uncommon increase of criminal activity off campus. La Salle has traditionally been one of the safest universities in Philadelphia, but we are taking these necessary actions to ensure the safety of our students.”

Immediate actions being taken include:

Increased Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) Presence

• The University will add an additional PPD officer from 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. One officer will patrol on bike, while the second officer will patrol high-activity zones in a police vehicle.
• PPD officers will have access to a map identifying where students reside off-campus, so they can closely monitor those specific homes.
• The PPD will be issuing safety flyers to each off-campus residence, which outlines crucial security information.
• The PPD will partner with La Salle Public Safety during Explorientation (orientation program for first year and freshman students held each August).

La Salle Public Safety Enhancements

• La Salle will purchase an additional public safety vehicle to patrol in and around the perimeter of campus.
• Motion-sensor lighting to be purchased and made available at no cost for the homes of off-campus student residences.
• Other safety prevention items will also be made available to students (including alert whistles) at no cost.
• To live off-campus, all students will be required to complete an extensive safety orientation program beginning in 2019-2020. Sessions will be offered in March and April of this year for students who have already committed to living off-campus in Fall 2019.
• Off-campus applicants also will be required to meet with the 35th Police District before ultimately receiving approval to live off-campus.
• Public Safety and PPD will now communicate weekly to discuss neighborhood issues with the local community and student residents.
• La Salle will host the 35th Police District Town Watch meetings on its campus each month. Students are encouraged to attend, especially those residing off-campus. Contact Brandon Vaughan for meeting details 215.991.3671 / vaughan@lasalle.edu.

“The Philadelphia Police Department understands the concerns of the La Salle community due to this unusual increase in off-campus criminal incidents. We are fully committed to preventing further incidents from occurring and, through this intensified effort, will work collaboratively with La Salle Public Safety to ensure the safety of the community surrounding its campus,” said Captain Ernest Ransom, Philadelphia Police Department, 35th Police District.

In addition to the initiatives outlined above, La Salle already has established safety protocols in place including, but not limited to, the installation of more than 250 cameras and surveillance technology equipment, as well as the incorporation of RAVE and RAVE Guardian notification system/app for students, faculty and staff, which is available on the La Salle mobile platform. Furthermore, La Salle is working with the Campus Community to explore additional options to enhance public safety.

In recent years, La Salle University has consistently reported the lowest incidence of crime committed on or near campus when compared to the other large city colleges – making it one of the safest universities in the area.

For more information about the Public Safety Action Plan, please visit https://www.lasalle.edu/actionplan.

About La Salle University

La Salle University was established in 1863 through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Brothers of the Christian Schools teaching order, which St. La Salle founded in 1680. La Salle University is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values and has been consistently recognized for excellence and value by U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Money magazine, Forbes, and The Princeton Review. The New York Times ranked La Salle in the top 6 percent nationally for median income of its graduates at age 34. Globally, Lasallian education reaches over one million students in 77 countries on six continents; this includes more than 1,000 schools, universities, and centers of education, and 65 colleges and universities with six located in the United States.  www.lasalle.edu