Jennifer Griffin, vice president of public safety, provided updates on an incident that occurred on Broad Street yesterday afternoon and clarified the role of TUalerts, in an announcement to the Temple community Thursday.
Just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Temple University Police Department received calls regarding a group of juveniles causing a disturbance in the lobby of Morgan Hall, Griffin wrote.
The group, none of whom were Temple students, then left the building and assaulted an adult near the Cecil B. Moore SEPTA station where two Temple students intervened in the altercation, she added.
Griffin also clarified the purpose of the TUalert system, which did not notify students about this particular incident. TUalerts are meant to communicate information that requires immediate action. Alerts are sent to students for situations that pose an imminent threat on campus or within the patrol zone, Griffin wrote.
In this instance, the scene had dispersed, there was only one targeted individual and there was no weapon present. Police had already responded and there was no immediate threat to the university, Griffin added.
Keep Us Safe TU, a student-run group that reports on crime around campus, posted a student-submitted video on Instagram of the assault taking place.
Griffin also addressed questions about the role of two Allied Universal security officers who were seen near the incident.
The contracted security officers’ role is to provide walking escorts to students, faculty and staff and report potential criminal activity to Temple’s Communication Center, Griffin wrote.
In this instance, the security officers reported the incident and Temple police officers then responded, dispersed the crowd and aided the victim following the assault, she added.
Griffin wrote that Campus Safety has increased patrols and presence in the area and has been in contact with the Philadelphia Police Department.
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