Temple’s Department of Public Safety (TUDPS) is launching a new initiative, called Public Safety’s Social Media Toolkit, to enhance the promotion of the university’s safety resources.

The toolkit includes a total of 14 Instagram-friendly graphics and tailored captions centered around safety tips and reminders. Student organizations and colleges are encouraged to download and post the content to their own social media accounts once a week for every week during the fall semester until finals. 

Jennifer Griffin, chief of police and vice president for public safety, said by involving the Temple community directly to amplify TUDPS’ safety messaging, the university’s organizations themselves are taking ownership in safety. 

“We often say that safety is a shared responsibility,” said Griffin. “This means everyone has a role to play in looking out for one another and taking steps to protect themselves. That’s exactly what this toolkit is designed to do; it meets the Temple community where they are: online.” 

Some of the social media posts within the toolkit are reminders about the various resources within the TUSafe app, such as the “Report a Tip” feature or the “Request a Walking Escort” feature. Other posts involve safety reminders, like one about the university’s medical amnesty program. 

“By encouraging our university partners to share the toolkit, we aim to educate and remind the Temple community about the safety resources available to them, many of which are right at their fingertips,” Griffin said. 

The toolkit involved the input from several TUDPS offices, including command staff, the Office of Emergency Management, the Professional Standards and Advocacy Unit, and the Office of Communications and Messaging, Griffin said. 

Temple Student Government (TSG) also provided feedback.

“There is a lot of necessary information that every Temple student needs to know. I would encourage everybody to follow these tips and reminders,” said Uzodinma Nancy Omereonye, TSG’s Director of Public Safety.

Additionally, several university partners provided support, including Strategic Marketing and Communications and the Office of the Senior Vice President and COO. 

“We wanted to craft the captions to include a call to action. For instance, it’s not enough to simply download the TUSafe app. We really want students, faculty and staff to familiarize themselves with it. This will help ensure that the Temple community recognizes there are steps they can take to improve safety for themselves and others,” said Moira Stoddart Trapper, executive director of digital strategy and engagement for the Office of the Senior Vice President and COO.

Student organizations and university units can request Public Safety’s Social Media Toolkit by emailing TUDPS.Comms@temple.edu with PSSMT in the subject line. 

While the social media safety toolkit aims to engage with the Temple community online, TUDPS is also planning several fall semester events to meet with students, faculty, staff and community members in person. 

Two Welcome Wagons are planned to kick off the semester, with the first being held on Aug. 26 at Norris and Carlisle streets and the second on Aug. 27 at 16th and Berks streets. Additionally, there will be a Coffee with Cops on Sept. 9 at 1100 Polett Walk (between Mazer and Gladfelter) and a Safety Giveaway event on Sept. 24 (across from Founder’s Garden). On Oct. 30, TUDPS will be celebrating Halloween by roving on foot and by vehicle to distribute candy and safety tips to students. Then, a Fall Break Safety Stop will be held on Nov. 18 at 16th and Montgomery streets.

“It’s important that Public Safety is meeting students where they are. Whether that’s online, on campus or within our patrol zone, we want to go to the same spaces where students are going” Griffin said. 

These events are in addition to TUDPS’ Turkey Giveaway event in November and the annual Children’s Holiday Party in December, which both events are for the North Philadelphia community. A full calendar of TUDPS events is here. 

“We are also launching the third year of our Student Safety Advisory Committee,” Griffin said. 

The committee is made up of students who meet monthly with Griffin and other Public Safety members to discuss issues and find safety solutions together. If you’re interested in joining, email TUDPS.Comms@temple.edu with SSAC in the subject line. 

Last but not least, TUDPS’ new community engagement van is also hitting the streets. Wrapped in Temple’s iconic cherry red, the van will be used at events, outreach efforts and neighborhood initiatives to help connect Public Safety with the Temple and North Philadelphia communities.

“Keep an eye out, you’ll be seeing it all around campus,” Griffin said. “We always encourage students and Temple Police to interact with each other and hope our new van helps to promote even more interactions.”