Site for Penn Police: 4000 Block on Chestnut

The University has purchased a building at 4026-4040 Chestnut Street to serve as new headquarters for its Division of Public Safety in line with the Public Safety Master Plan's goal of creating a stronger presence west of 40th Street.

The two-story, 25,700-square-foot building has been owned by Legal Records Services Inc., and contains offices and warehouse space. It was purchased for $1 million, and will undergo an additional estimated $2 million dollars in renovations. Design for renovations is to begin immediately and work is to be completed in one year.

Housed in it will be:

The heart of the facility will be the new command, control and communications center that will centralize all police and security technology communications.

"This new facility will provide us with a state-of-the art command and control center to monitor conditions both on and off campus, and will bring together all elements of our safety program," said Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon. "Further, it provides Public Safety personnel with a modern headquarters to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness."

"It is our hope that the Philadelphia Police will join us in our new police headquarters as a way of further enhancing our joint safety efforts and long-term partnership with the city," Executive Vice President John Fry said.

"This is a strategic investment that will provide us with a long-term benefit in the form of a centralized, modern police facility that will enhance our safety efforts considerably. In addition, the presence of an attractive police facility at 40th and Chestnut streets will serve as an important building block for neighborhood revitalization in general and the revitalization of 40th Street in particular."

The new facility will house the three divisions that comprise Penn's Public Safety Division. They are the University of Pennsylvania Police, which includes both patrol and investigative units; the Special Services Division, which provides victim support, crime prevention and related safety services; and Security Services, which includes security technology and guard services. The new property also contains a garage that can accommodate police vehicles.

In advance of the move, the Special Services Division currently at 3927 Walnut St. will be moved temporarily to offices on the 200 block of South 40th Street. Special Services includes the unit long known as Victim Support and Safety Services.


Almanac

Volume 43 Number 9
October 22, 1996


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