To the Temple community, 

Yesterday afternoon at about 4:50 p.m., the Temple University Police Department received calls of a disturbance regarding a group of young people inside the lobby of Morgan Hall, 1601 N. Broad St. The juveniles, none of whom were Temple students, left the building and then assaulted an adult near Cecil B. Moore Station. Two brave Temple students intervened, and we are grateful for their efforts. 

Questions have arisen regarding the role of two security officers who were seen near where this incident occurred. I want to take a moment to clarify this. Our contracted security officers’ role is to provide walking escorts to Temple students, faculty and staff. They also immediately report any potential criminal activity or concerns to Temple’s Communication Center. In this instance, the security officers reported the incident and Temple police officers then immediately responded to disperse the crowd and aid the victim following the assault. We have increased police patrols and presence in the area, and we have been in contact with the Philadelphia Police Department. 

In addition, I would like to clarify the purpose of the TUalert system. TUalerts are used to communicate information to students, faculty and staff that require immediate action. These alerts are sent for situations, incidents or emergencies that pose an imminent threat or hazard on campus or within the university patrol zone. An alert was not sent in this instance as the scene had dispersed, the incident targeted a specific individual, there was no weapon present, Temple police had responded and there was no immediate threat to the Temple community. For more information on TUalerts, please review our TUalert FAQ. 

We want to again thank the students who intervened in yesterday’s incident. We urge all members of the Temple community to contact Temple Police for emergencies at 215-204-1234. 

Sincerely, 

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