In 1985 when Ed Woltemate was just entering the police academy, Ronald Reagan was president, the country was in the Cold War and police cars across the nation were painted a distinctive light blue. 

“Back then, blue police cars were the standard. Over time, it changed to white to make police cars more visible. But it was a big culture shift at the time, because longtime police officers were so used to that blue color. It was as much ingrained in policing as our uniforms and badges,” Woltemate said. 

Woltemate, a Temple police captain, has seen a lot of changes over his successful 40-year career in law enforcement. However, he will turn in his badge and gun when he retires on March 31. 

Woltemate, a Philadelphia native, spent 17 years working to make campus safer in various roles with Temple University’s Department of Public Safety (TUDPS), most recently in overseeing the Professional Standards and Advocacy Unit. Before joining Temple, he worked for 23 years with the Philadelphia Police Department. 

“When I started my career 40 years ago, there were no cell phones, no social media, no email. In fact, there was no internet at the time. We got all of our news from the newspaper for the most part. So policing has changed so much,” he said. “I remember in 2008 at Temple, I was issued a Blackberry for the first time, and that was a big deal because you could read emails on that device from anywhere. You didn’t have to be at your computer.”

Woltemate’s career began March 25, 1985—his first day as a cadet at the Philadelphia Police Academy. He remembered just two months into the academy, Philadelphia Police was involved in a standoff with MOVE in West Philadelphia, which resulted in a fire that could be seen for miles.

“When that happened, an instructor at the academy turned on the news. At the time you only had two TVs, in black and white. As we watched throughout the day, rumors were getting out that we could be activated and sent out to the scene there in West Philadelphia. We were all anxious because we had not been on the street yet and we thought we were going to be used for crowd control,” he said. 

While Woltemate wasn’t sent there, he has worked on plenty of other investigations over the years. 

For five years, he worked as a patrol officer in the 35 District, which covers Olney, West Oak Lane and Logan. In 1990, he then moved on to become a sergeant and worked in the Communications Center at police headquarters, known as The Roundhouse. In 1996, he was then promoted to lieutenant and assigned to patrol the 6th District, which covers Center City. In 2000, he was assigned to the internal affairs division until he retired in 2008. 

He was then hired by Temple University’s Department of Public Safety as a lieutenant and placed in charge of Temple Police’s Investigation Unit.

“What I learned was that you wore many hats in that position—it was much more than the Investigation’s Unit. I did department advocacy, I worked with university admissions, I helped with incident response and much more,” he said. 

Woltemate chose Temple because he wanted to continue to work in law enforcement within the city.

“Any role within law enforcement across the country is similar, but at the university, we’re so ingrained within the community. We care about the community and want to see it thrive. I always kept that top of mind,” he said.

He added that safety was always a priority for university leadership.

“I always enjoyed working with Temple leadership, Temple Student Government and others to find solutions to improve safety,” he said. 

He saw several new buildings constructed on campus in recent years, including the Aramark STAR (Student Training and Recreation) Complex, Charles Library, Montgomery Garage, the Science Education and Research Center, and several more. 

There have also been changes within TUDPS.

“We have instituted so much more technology that has greatly helped to improve safety—more technology than we have ever seen before. We’ve upgraded equipment, vehicles, security cameras and more,” he said. “I think our department is in great hands with Police Chief and Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin.”

Griffin said Woltemate made countless contributions to TUDPS.

“Captain Woltemate’s dedication, leadership and service have made a lasting impact on TUDPS and the Temple community. He's been an amazing investigator and advocate for students and their families. As he retires, we hope the next chapter of his life brings him many years of health,  fulfillment and joy. He will truly be missed,” Griffin said. 

Woltemate also encourages people who enjoy helping others to consider a career in law enforcement. 

“The rewarding element about working at TUDPS is that you get to meet and engage with students, faculty, staff and community members who genuinely appreciate the work that we’re doing to help them and to keep them safer,” he said. “Students from all over the world come here to learn and there is no better feeling than knowing that we have been a small part in the lives of the future leaders of this country and beyond.” 

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