The current job market to hire police officers is exceedingly difficult and there is a nationwide challenge for law enforcement agencies keeping up with attrition and retirements. Our strategy is grounded in recruiting and hiring the most qualified individuals to join our department while maintaining our current staffing through retention.

Key Recommendations:

1. Create and staff a variety of training-focused positions to ensure robust, meaningful adoption of an enhanced officer training paradigm.
2. Conduct a staffing analysis and implement a comprehensive staffing plan to ensure appropriate personnel and deployment of resources (including TUPD, Temple security, and Allied security)
3. Develop a revised, codified deployment plan that gives greater emphasis to bike, foot, and other nonmotorized modes of patrol, based on call volume, and community needs.
4. Grow the ranks of supervisor to ensure enhanced supervision across all shifts.
5. Update policies and processes to support recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, and incentivizing advanced educational opportunities and leadership development.
6. Ensure better cohesion within and among Public Safety – both at the level of leadership and, especially, at the level of rank-and-file or in-the-field personnel.
7. Explore creating a dedicated Employee Wellness Program to promote the mental and physical health and well-being of Departmental employees.

One of the core components of the department's strategic plan includes increasing the training and professional development of public safety personnel based on their roles and responsibilities, and providing education to our various community members to raise awareness and capabilities.

Key Recommendations:

1. Adopt and incorporate an enhanced, updated training paradigm grounded in adult learning techniques, skill-based instruction – including the use of integrated scenarios, group discussions, oral and verbal scenarios, interactive exercises, and evaluated opportunities to practice real-world situations.
2. Renew cross-University resource preparedness and training plan to engage with the campus community on active shooter and major-incident preparedness. These initiatives should involve PPD as a critical partner.
3. Create and staff a variety of training-focused positions to ensure robust, meaningful adoption of an enhanced officer training paradigm.
4. Develop an individualized training plan for every TUPD employee that reflects and incorporates mandatory requirements for certifications, opportunities for employee development, and instruction that addresses performance improvement needs.
5. Review current sexual assault services available to victims to ensure all aspects are trauma-informed, victim-centered, and multi-disciplinary. All TUPD personnel should receive training on the Department’s policies and procedures regarding the response to an investigation of sexual assault and harassment incidents. The training should address topics including the effects of trauma on memory, victim-centered interaction techniques, and services available for victims and the referral process.
6. Strengthen and expand the training that it provides to new employees by updating and strengthening the FTO program, and including in the initial FTO or on-the-job period an opportunity for new employees to rotate among various functions (dispatch, investigations, patrol, etc.)
7. Develop and implement joint training across all public safety entities – including but not limited to TUPD, Temple security, Allied security, and other campus entities with response duties, such as Residential Advisors.
8. Develop and provide regular, ongoing, and more robust training to Allied security personnel to ensure a more unified, strategic safety response across public safety services on campus

Many campus community members say that they generally feel safe when they are within the boundaries of Temple’s physical campus. For instance, in a Spring 2022 survey, more than four out of five (81%) “of respondents living in University-owned residence halls reported feeling safe in their area of residence” on campus.

The visibility of campus security and police officers, the presence of other community members, access to “blue light” emergency telephones, and lighting were the most commonly-cited factors that impact feelings of safety on campus.

Key Recommendations:

1. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of TUPD’s current technology and develop a plan to ensure that the Department’s technology aligns with the mission, vision, and needs, and interfaces with other police and University systems.
2. Technology & Equipment Plan to address software and hardware requirements; new, replacement, and maintenance requirements; and annual review as part of the budget process.

Assessment and Plan to include vehicle fleet, a records management and case management system, and the technology and equipment needs of the communications

Many campus community members also say that the University’s communication and information-sharing about public safety issues and incidents could be enhanced.

The Task Force on 21st Century Policing found that, ““community policing,” is something more than a series of disconnected programs, an isolated assignment, or sporadic “extracurricular” activities. Instead, “community policing” should refer to the basic way that public safety personnel conduct their work…a philosophy that focuses on identifying, engaging, and working with community members to address community problems and issues. In this way, real “community policing” is not just a standalone activity or a set of outreach initiatives but rather a core approach that “should be infused throughout the culture and organizational structure of law enforcement agencies.”

Key Recommendations:

1. Craft strategic communications and outreach initiatives aimed at ensuring that TU stakeholders understand the distinct, important roles of various public safety services on campus
2. Ensure improved, enhanced communication, information-sharing, and training between and among TUPD and Allied Security personnel.
3. Improve communication, information-sharing, and training between and among University leaders and Public Safety. There can be significant consequences to leaders and officers from different departments interacting for the first time during an emergency or moment of crisis. Confusion about responsibilities, lines of authority, and overall response protocols can complicate and adversely impact the ability of to respond as effectively as may be required.
4. Conduct joint training and cross-trainings with City of Philadelphia safety resources and Temple safety responders.
5. Develop and utilize a comprehensive Community Engagement and Partnership plan that communicates and coordinates its internal and external public safety engagement and partnership efforts.
6. Cultivate community engagement and problem-solving to be a department-wide philosophy, with each member of the department an important part of these efforts – rather than operating as a specialized “unit” isolated from TUPD’s other work.
7. Develop and implement joint training across all public safety entities – including but not limited to TUPD, Temple security, Allied security, and other campus entities with response duties, such as Residential Advisors.
8. Develop and provide regular, ongoing, and more robust training to Allied security personnel to ensure a more unified, strategic safety response across public safety services on campus.

Key takeaways from both the 21CP audit and the Violence Reduction Taks Force focus on the critical importance of collaboration:

• Establishing, implementing, and sustaining a Temple-Community Safety Partnership Zone with the purpose of making the North Philadelphia area within the patrol zone a safer, better place to live, work, and thrive. This partnership must be comprised of members representing Temple, City entities, institutional stakeholders like non-profits, businesses, and community residents that work together in the “co-production” of public safety.
• Creating a Response Resource Task Force comprised of representatives of the University, the City, the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”), District Attorney’s Office, and other state and federal law enforcement agencies, among others. The Task Force should coordinate strategy and tactics and ensure that all safety resources are aligned in terms of mission and scope