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Wednesday, November 27, 1996

POLICE:

Officials take a second look at night escort policy in wake of tragedyBy Shari Sklut

Daily Bruin Contributor

Continuing in the search for a suspect in connection with the first homicide at UCLA in six years, university and Los Angeles police officers are following several different leads.

No arrests have been made for the Sept. 14 murder of Kevin Jeske, a Central Ticket Office employee.

Jeske, 37, was killed by a single shot to the chest after he deposited receipts from a Wadsworth Theater show to the CTO, police said.

The suspect, who fled the scene without the funds, was witnessed leaving in a red 1980s model Nissan 240SX or 300ZX driven by a second suspect.

"The case is being actively investigated, and there are leads that are being actively pursued," said UCPD Sgt. James Vandenberg.

Police said that after being escorted by private security officers from Wadsworth Theater to his car, Jeske carried the money alone to the ticket office.

Officials said that while employees making cash transfers from the Theater often ask for police escorts, UCPD policy is to escort employees only upon request.

The murder triggered a formal inquiry into the police department's escort policies, Capt. Terry Baker said.

"Police officers have always been available to conduct cash escorts" between points on campus, Baker said, noting that it is difficult to escort every cash transaction on campus due to the high number of transfers that occur every day.

Baker said that university police officials are in the process of reviewing a campuswide protocol to establish the standards by which police or other armed escorts can be provided on campus.

"Obviously when we have a tragic and unfortunate event like this we re-examine our policies, and just like the rest of society, we're going to have to upgrade and we're going to have to intensify our efforts to ensure the security of our students and staff," Police Chief Clarence Chapman said.

Chapman noted that security measures would be increased, with more uniformed patrols of campus, as well as escorts for night deposits.

In an attempt to help solve the case, the university, along with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the City Council, are offering a $45,000 reward for any information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspects.

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