Meet Interim Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police Denise A. Wilhelm

Denise A. Wilhelm serves as Interim Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police at Temple University, bringing more than 30 years of experience with Temple Police and deep knowledge of the university and North Philadelphia communities.

Wilhelm began her Temple career in 1993 as a security officer and advanced through the ranks, serving as Patrol Officer, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain of Patrol Operations and Deputy Chief of Operations. She previously served as Interim Chief of Police in 2022.

Throughout her career, Wilhelm has helped strengthen public safety operations across the university, including police operations, investigations, security services, emergency response, proactive patrol strategies, large-scale event planning and community safety initiatives. Her Temple experience also includes service with the Bike Patrol Unit and work supporting Liacouras Center operations, including event safety, police deployment, traffic management and crowd control.

Wilhelm has completed Temple’s Supervisory/Management Training and Temple University Leadership Training, programs that helped shape her approach to leading teams, supporting employees and strengthening public safety operations. Her additional accomplishments include helping implement major departmental initiatives such as the body-worn camera program, mobile data terminal program, K9 Unit, Taser program, and the long gun program.

As Interim Vice President and Chief of Police, Wilhelm is focused on supporting Public Safety employees, maintaining operational excellence, advancing accreditation efforts and strengthening trust across Temple and the surrounding community.