
Updated Jan. 21 at 2:08 p.m. EST.
A number of public safety incidents near Temple’s Main Campus did not receive TUalerts during winter break but did get posted by the Temple University Police Association, leading The Temple News to examine what incidents call for a TUalert to be sent by the Department of Public Safety.
The Clery Act, passed in 1990, mandates schools to quickly notify the community about serious threats on college campuses. Temple’s Department of Public Safety uses TUalerts to inform the university community about immediate incidents on campus and within Temple’s patrol zone, which goes from Susquehanna Avenue to Jefferson Street and 18th Street to 9th Street.
The alerts come via text message, phone call and email and include the necessary information for the community to avoid danger, including location and type of incident.
Under the Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Communications and Timely Warnings policy, there must be “an emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees requiring immediate action on the part of the campus community” for a TUalert to be sent.
In order for an alert to be issued, the incident must occur on campus or adjacent to campus, or on a non-campus property that the university owns or controls. In cases of an arrest, an alert is not sent out, according to the Department of Public Safety’s website.
”If we [TUPD] respond, if it’s within the patrol zone and we take a report, obviously it’s in the crime log, but we don’t send out an alert on everything that goes on in the crime zone if it doesn’t require immediate action,” said Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin.
Before issuing a TUalert, President John Fry, Chief Operating Officer Ken Kaiser or Griffin, or one of their designees, will evaluate the situation and determine the necessary emergency notification.
During winter break, TUPD only issued one TUalert, leaving some students confused about the systems’ function.
On Dec. 19, two people were murdered inside a home on Diamond Street. The incident occurred in an area that just falls out of TUPD’s patrol zone, and no report of the incident was posted to DPS’ daily crime log and no TUalert was sent.
After the victims’ bodies were discovered and the Philadelphia Police Department and local news outlets publicized the murders, DPS decided not to issue an alert because the situation didn’t require students, staff or faculty to take any immediate action, Griffin said.
“We are getting the information out and that’s important, so hopefully because we are getting the information out we’re being as timely as possible, that’s fulfilling what the students’ expectations are of the alerts,” said Denise Wilhelm, deputy chief of operations in the Department of Public Safety.
In addition to TUalerts, TUPD releases updates on its Daily Clery Crime Log, which informs community members of any other activities that haven’t been published as alerts or occurred in areas considered non-patrol zones.
The TUalert system is for immediate action so students and faculty avoid a certain area, whereas the crime log is information people may want to know, Griffin said.
The crime log reports incidents like harassment, theft and threats. The reports include locations, the time of the incident, the time it was reported and if it was cleared. But it doesn’t indicate if TUPD issued a TUalert.
The crime log malfunctioned from Dec. 31 until Jan. 10 and the most recent incidents weren’t being displayed on the first two pages as a result. Now, the crime log is functioning as a PDF document that describes the latest incidents in the last pages.
DPS’ investigations unit is responsible for updating the crime log and the information is taken from their records management system. DPS worked to fix the daily crime log, said Director of Communication for Public Safety Matt Petrillo.
Students can filter the incidents in the crime log by different categories including campus, building and status of the incident.
More than 70% of students believe TUalerts and communication about safety need to improve, according to a January 2025 poll conducted by The Temple News.
On Dec. 10, TUPA issued a statement on its social media accounts calling for “significant changes” in TUPD’s leadership. The letter included complaints about reduced staffing and a lack of open communication between TUPD, TUPA and the Temple community.
TUPA issues its own safety warnings on its social media accounts, even if DPS decides not to issue a TUalert or record the incident on the daily crime log. During winter break, TUPA used its safety advisories to inform followers on its social media page of incidents like a robbery that occurred on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, which didn’t get a TUalert.
“We are going to put out anything that happens within our jurisdiction,” said TUPA Vice President Andrew Lanetti. “That’s our criteria [to issue safety advisory posts]. Anything that we believe could endanger the community at large is going to get put out by TUPA to the best of our ability.”
Leonor Ferreira warned her friends about a shooting that took place last semester within the patrol zone before Temple issued a TUalert.
“The other day there was a shooting near [The View] and it took a [while] to the TUalert to get out,” said Ferreira, a first-year graduate student. “So that was kind of concerning because I had to tell my friends that the stuff was going on before the TUalert was on our emails or our phones.”
TUalerts often include the location and a short description of the incident, and DPS will send an update regarding the status when it’s necessary. Students also use other apps like Citizen App or social media accounts like KeepUsSafeTU, an Instagram account that has been inactive since August 2024, and TUPA’s X account to get safety updates and information.
Around 48% of students believe the Citizens App is more reliable for crime and safety updates, while only 20% think TUalerts are more efficient, according to the same TTN poll.
On the other hand, Sarah Kruah believes TUalerts provide proper information despite not including extensive details about the incidents.
“Even though the TUalerts are not that detailed, I would say the app [Citizens App] doesn’t really keep me safe,” said Kruah, a freshman computer science and biology major. “I will say the TUalert does a better job on letting me know what goes on on-campus and around campus because that immediate text message that comes through lets me know not to go in that area.”
Jadon George and Evelyn Blower contributed reporting.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the murder of two people on Dec. 19 occurred within TUPD’s patrol zone. The story has been updated to reflect the accurate information
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