2013 is well under way, y’all, and even though we don’t have WiFi-enabled contact lenses or hover skateboards yet, new computer technology may allow us to predict crimes before they happen, much like in Minority Report.
Developed by Penn professor and criminologist Richard Berk, new software can help predict which freed prisoners are expected to repeat crimes, making police and parole officers’ jobs, like, a billion times easier. The algorithms can also help decide sentences and bail amounts based on these predictions. It’s already being implemented in Philadelphia, making for a smarter security.
Peep the the full details here.
Armed Robbery At 40th And Spruce, But No Injuries– Still, yikes.
Read more about it at the
DP.
Possible Arson Reported In Harrison-- Harrison was evacuated last night at around 11:30 due to a fire on the 12th floor. Police arrived on scene to take samples and allegedly found a clump of flammable material that could have been used as kindling, indicating a potential arson. Yikes! Keep checking back as more information comes in.
Update: Turns out that the "arson" with traces of "kindling" was actually a "cigarette" that smoldered in a "trashcan."
Triple Stabbing At 40th And Market-- Three people were stabbed last night at the intersection of 40th and Market, only a week after
a fatal shooting at the same spot. According to
NBC Philadelphia, two brothers and an older man got into a fight just after 11 PM, and all three were wounded. Yikes.
Man Fatally Shot Near 40th and Market– Shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday morning, a policeman heard gunshots from his car and saw a man fleeing south near Market before collapsing on Preston. The man, pronounced dead at 3:15 that morning, had no identifying information and the police are still looking for his shooter. This heinous crime was just one in a violent weekend spree that included three other deaths and six shootings, as
Philly.com reports.
Or so says the Elite Daily in a recent ranking that also includes Ivies Columbia and Harvard in addition to Philly neighbor Temple listed in the number two spot. Fortunately, we’ve recently learned that Penn is really fashionable, so at least you’ll look very chic when you’re finishing up that affidavit.
The metrics that Elite Daily used look kind of scary, that’s true– but they don’t detail what was left out or the the formula used to complete each ranking. Have these people ever even stepped foot on campus? Probably not, or they would have seen the Penn police riding these things, which always make us feel safe. And how about the fact that Rutgers- Newark is included on the list, but the Camden campus, located in one of the most notoriously crime-filled cities in the country, has been left out? Ridiculous, right?
Elite Daily, stop being so dramatic! Our campus isn’t that bad at all! We’re ranking you as the number one most worst list aggregator on the internet. How does it feel?
Bicycle crime is no small matter in West Philly. According to this article in last month’s DP, bike theft skyrocketed 57.6% from 2010-2011, a number expected to increase even more in the coming years. And this data isn’t faceless, either: most of us have at least one friend who, after snagging that sexy two-wheeler and owning it for an entire two months, has to endure the disappointment of waking up one morning to discover only a broken lock (and heart, presumably) in its place.
Enter: PennCycle. Touted as a public bike share geared toward the entire Penn community, PennCycle aims to make access to bikes both inexpensive and convenient. According their website, the process goes a little something like this: Read the rest of this entry »
BREAKING: Man Stabbed, Robbed At 46th And Walnut– Shortly after 9 p.m. this evening, a 53-year-old man walking on 46th and Walnut was stabbed in the back four times before being robbed, as
Philly.com reports. Police state the man was confirmed stable at 9:45 after being brought to HUP. The suspect is unknown. This crime comes only a day after
Frank Trower was killed at 39th and Market.
Man Killed At 39th and Market Identified– In an update to
yesterday's post about the man killed from bullet wounds Sunday afternoon, the
DP reports that the 21-year-old has been identified as Frank Trower. At this time, it is unknown if Trower is identified with Penn in any way. Keep checking back for updates as they come in.
Man Killed At 39th And Market– Around 4 p.m. today, an unidentified man was found dead in his home at 39th and Market, as the
DP reports. The 21-year-old suffered from two bullet wounds to the head. DPS has confirmed the incident and the Philadelphia Police Department will be leading an investigation on the matter.
