The Temple University Police Association is calling for the resignation of Jennifer Griffin, Temple’s vice president of public safety, according to the union’s statement.
“We believe that her actions and decisions have resulted in a failure to adequately protect and support both the Temple University community and the police officers serving within it,” the union wrote.
The statement cites a recent decision made by Griffin to terminate three female officers within 48 hours, and a supposed failure to implement significant safety improvements after the fatal shooting of Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald in February as reasons for their demand.
“Temple University does not provide details on personnel matters,” the university wrote in a statement to The Temple News. “However, we have work rules that all police officers are aware of and required to follow. Those rules embody core values of law enforcement and we take violations of these values and rules extremely seriously.”
TUPA previously criticized Griffin after her use of the phrase “university safety officers” to describe Temple police.
“There has been no progress at all with Dr. Griffin and in fact, things at TUPD are now worse than ever before due to incompetent leadership,” wrote TUPA President Alec Shaffer in a statement to The Temple News. “During [Griffin’s] administration, crime has soared, enrollment has plummeted, and police staffing continues to drop to all-time lows.”
Shootings within Temple Police’s patrol zone have more than doubled in the last four years, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. As of June 1, there have been 108 shooting victims within the 22nd police district, which encompasses Main Campus, according to the Office of the Controller.
“We call on the administration of Temple University to take these concerns seriously and address the issues at hand promptly,” according to the union’s statement.
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