Dear students, 

The Philadelphia Police Department continues to actively investigate three home invasion incidents with the support and assistance of Temple University Police detectives.  

This morning was the third home invasion within the last two weeks, and all investigative leads are being explored. The Philadelphia Police Department and Temple’s Department of Public Safety leadership and detectives have been in constant communication.  

• On Nov. 9, 2022, at approximately 4:40 a.m. on the 1900 block of North 18th Street, three armed suspects gained access to the residence through an unsecured door and robbed three residents of U.S. currency, phones, keys and credit cards. There were no reported injuries. 
• On Nov. 11, 2022, at approximately 7:03 a.m. on the 1300 block of North 15th Street, two armed suspects entered the residence and robbed a total of 11 complainants of various items including U.S. currency, phones, credit cards, debit cards and a Lincoln MKZ which belonged to one of the complainants. There were no reported injuries. 
• On Nov. 21, 2022, at approximately 6 a.m. on the 1900 block of North 18th Street, two individuals, one armed, forced entry into the residence and woke up four residents. The suspects took car keys, a firearm, electronics and a Mitsubishi Eclipse which belonged to one of the residents. There were no reported injuries. 

In all these incidents, whether within the Public Safety patrol zone or outside of it, a Temple detective responds to assist PPD and liaison to support the investigation. If the location is within the patrol zone, Temple police officers respond to attempt to identify and capture suspects, engage the victims, hold the scene, transport victims or witnesses, and relay important information to supervisors. The Temple detective then ensures that all students involved are identified and their contact information is shared with university leadership to ensure contact and support are extended. The Dean of Students office then directly reaches out to the students to offer Tuttleman Counseling Center services, as well as other resources specific to their needs including on-campus housing. The Tuttleman Counseling Center then contacts students to assess needs and support. These support services are in addition to what is being provided and offered by PPD Central Detective Division. 

Temple University police officers are assigned zones within the patrol boundaries, in addition to the Philadelphia Police Departmental patrols in those areas. Communication between the Patrol Commander and supervisors has directed increased presence in and around those areas affected by the two home invasions within the patrol zone. 

We want to again emphasize our Best Nest Program, which helps students and their families find off-campus housing that meets certain safety and security criteria. We implore our off-campus students living within the patrol zone to encourage their landlord to register for this program. Information is available here. 

Landlords within the patrol zone can also apply for Temple’s Security Upgrade Grant of up to $2,500 which can be used for installing either lighting and/or cameras to improve security. 

Finally, we want to reshare these safety tips with the Temple student community. We must all work together to help keep each other safe. We ask that you take time to review these tips, which are especially important now during the holiday season when robberies are known to increase. 

Please do not hesitate to contact Temple Police at 215-204-1234 with any questions regarding the university’s available safety resources. Thank you for your time. 

Best regards, 

Jennifer D. Griffin 
Vice President of Public Safety at Temple University