The Triangle

Issue date: 5/22/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Olivia Garrity

A robbery suspect allegedly entered Hagerty Library May 15 after the Drexel University Police Department, along with Philadelphia Police Department, responded to an off-campus delivery truck robbery.

Based on the information available at the time of the incident, the event was not considered an imminent threat to the Drexel community, and the DrexelAlert system was not activated, according to Domenic Ceccanecchio, senior associate vice president for public safety at Drexel University.

After investigations were conducted by the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detective Division and Drexel University Police, officials discovered that the robbery of the delivery truck occurred at an off-campus location near 47th and Spruce streets. Three individuals, including an employee of the delivery truck who set up the robbery, were involved. At the time of the incident, Philadelphia Police arrested one of the robbers while the second suspect fled in a white car that was later spotted outside Hagerty Library.

According to Ceccanecchio, Drexel Police received conflicting reports that the second suspect had entered the library or had fled on 33rd street. Although the Public Safety officer at the library did not observe the suspect in the building, review of the CCTV system showed the suspect enter and promptly exit Hagerty library. As a precaution, the library was evacuated and searched by Drexel and Philadelphia Police.

"Based on all of the information we had at the time, we did not and do not believe [that] there was an imminent threat to [the Drexel] community," Ceccanecchio said. "The event unfolded very quickly and was contained and under police control from the onset."

Students and staff, however, said they felt that the University should have notified them about the incident. Elaine Stubna, a pre-junior in electrical engineering, said had she known she would have avoided the area and been more aware of her surroundings.

Nikita Shah, a sophomore majoring in biology, agreed and said: "Just because [the suspect] wasn't in the library doesn't mean he wasn't around campus. It was a Friday evening, so everyone's always walking around the area and anything could have happened. I think an alert would have been more cautious. We definitely should have been told."

Ceccanecchio said the system should only be used when there is an immediate threat so not to dilute the alert should a life threatening emergency occur on campus.

Continued...

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