Over 125,000 people study, work, live, and visit within the Penn Patrol Zone on a given day. Safety and Security in an open, urban, multicultural and densely-populated university environment such as Penn requires at the core, a strong commitment to community-based policing practices. The primary responsibilities of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department are law enforcement, order maintenance and service. First and foremost in our organization’s success, is the support of the community we serve for effective crime prevention. Community feedback and input about our crime-prevention programs are critical to building a successful program. This philosophy is reinforced at every level within the UPPD, from the patrol officer to the Chief of Police.
Other components of the community policing strategy include:
The University of Pennsylvania Police Department’s Detective Unit is a full-service squad comprised of the Deputy Chief of Investigations, 2 Detective Supervisors and 12 Detectives. Services include Criminal Investigations, Offender Processing and crime scene examinations.
The UPPD Detective Bureau is proud to have clearance rates for burglaries and robberies consistently higher than the average national clearance rates for the same crimes. The Detective Unit also provides Dignitary Protection for the many important University of Pennsylvania VIP’s both local and from around the globe who visit our campus.
You are encouraged to make a report of a crime to the Penn Police by filling out the report a crime form. Should you wish to keep your name or the victim’s name confidential we understand, however we would appreciate it if you still reported the incident. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential, while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others. With such information, the University can keep accurate records of the number of incidents involving students, determine where there is a pattern of crime with regard to a particular location, method or assailant, and alert the campus community to potential danger.
You may report a crime in person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at the DPS Headquarters: 4040 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, or by calling 215-573-3333. You may also use our online form. This form is not monitored 24//7.
Learn additional information about crime reporting on our Clery page, or reach out to Public Safety’s Office of the Vice President via email or call 215-898-7515.