Meet the Vice President

Joel Dales has been named as Temple University’s next vice president for public safety. Currently the deputy commissioner in the Philadelphia Police Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Joel will join the Temple community on Dec. 7.

Joel brings more than three decades of urban policing experience to the role, as he is an established leader within the Philadelphia Police Department, an organization he first joined in 1990. Since joining the department as a patrol officer, he has risen through the ranks and has held executive leadership positions in Patrol Operations, Special Operations and in the Office of Professional Responsibility, where he currently serves and oversees Internal Affairs and Professional Standards.

Joel has a unique understanding of both the opportunities and challenges faced by urban law enforcement agencies, and his experience positions him well to further build upon the strong collaboration already in place between Temple’s Department of Public Safety and the Philadelphia Police Department.

Joel is also a strong advocate and believer in community policing. He recognizes that success in this role begins with building trust with students, faculty, staff, parents, and neighbors, and he welcomes the opportunity to further develop those relationships.

We invite you to learn more about Joel in this Temple Now piece.

We want to thank the search advisory committee and its chair, Cameron Etezady, vice president and university counsel, for their efforts in helping bring this important appointment to fruition.

Finally, we want to thank Denise Wilhelm, who has served as our interim vice president for public safety since July. Denise led the division with courage and integrity, and she is one of Temple’s greatest Owls. We look forward to continuing to work closely with her moving forward.