Dear members of the Temple community, 

It is with great sadness that we write to share that Eileen Bradley, ’72, a retired Captain with the Temple University Police Department and a treasured figure on this campus, passed away earlier today after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 77. 

A trailblazer in every sense of the word, Eileen joined the Temple Police Department as its first woman officer in 1972. This came right after she earned a degree from Temple, and she would go on to proudly serve this community for most of her life. Most recently, she served as project coordinator for the Department of Public Safety’s engagement unit. 

Longtime Temple employees and alumni fondly remember Eileen proudly patrolling campus and its surrounding neighborhoods. She loved Temple, especially our students, and the neighboring community, and her passion for this institution and North Philadelphia was immediately evident to everyone who knew her.  

Her commitment to service never wavered and in recent years, she served as the Temple liaison for the neighborhood and business communities, Temple Student Government and countless student organizations, and students living off campus. She also helped shape the Department of Public Safety’s community engagement efforts, which remain a hallmark of the department. 

The breadth of her job was a tall task, but it never felt like work for Eileen. 

“I feel that some of these neighbors are my friends. They call me, and I’ve been in their homes. We really are friends. We have a lot of good people around here,” she said in a 2018 interview with The Temple News. 

Eileen’s legacy at Temple was on full display just last week when the Department of Public Safety distributed more than 70 turkeys to North Philadelphia neighbors and community groups in advance of Thanksgiving. The tradition of Temple Police giving back during the holidays was one that Eileen helped establish many years ago, and it is one that we know will continue well into the future. 

Information about services will be shared with the Temple community as it is available. 

We want to express our condolences to all who knew and loved Eileen, especially her family and closest friends. She will be deeply missed by her Temple family. 

Sincerely, 

Richard M. Englert 
President 

Jennifer D. Griffin 
Vice President for Public Safety