Penn State President Amy Guttmann recently announced a plan by the university to increase its safety budget by $5 million, according to a university press release. University officials plan to use $2 million to augment the number of police officers by 20 percent and the number of security guards by 50 percent. The rest of the money will be used to buy more lights, security cameras and emergency phones in and around the university.
Officials are taking extra measures due to a recent spike in Philadelphia’s crime rate, including areas close to the college. The $5 million initiative is the latest in a string of security initiatives at Penn State, which include collaborations of campus police and city officers that has resulted in more than 90 arrests since November.
