Temple names Delaware State Police captain and educator as VP of public safety

Temple University named a long-time Delaware State Police officer, who also is an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware and has a doctorate in sociology, as its vice president of public safety, a newly created position.

Police Capt. Jennifer Griffin will start Aug. 22 as the university prepares to launch the fall semester on its North Philadelphia campus and as gun violence in the city continues to surge.

“I just thought we had to do something differently here,” said Ken Kaiser, Temple’s chief operating officer. The new post “is a continuation of our efforts to further our commitment to campus safety... Quite frankly, it is our No. 1 priority.”

» READ MORE: Temple will increase its police force following recent shootings near campus, but some worry about overpolicing

Concerns about safety flared last year as gun violence came close to Temple’s campus several times, including in the death of student Samuel Collington, who was fatally shot in the chest Nov. 28 during a carjacking on the 2200 block of North Park Avenue, and Amir Jones, 18, who was killed during a robbery on Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Temple responded by announcing it would increase the size of its police force, as well as improve lighting, safety technology, and student escort services. It also announced that it had hired former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey to conduct a campus safety audit, which is due to be completed by mid-October.

But some parents decided to hire their own private security firm to watch over their children and have formed a group to push for greater safety efforts.

The university also soon will announce a revamping of its shuttle service for students, and the development of a list of landlords in its police patrol zone that are deemed as quality, off-campus housing, Kaiser said. Landlords who opt into the list will have to meet certain criteria, Kaiser said, including having good lighting and security cameras, and few to no trash and noise violations. The list, which will include tips on selecting quality housing and allow students to write reviews on landlords, is expected to be ready by late fall when students will be hunting for their 2023-24 housing, he said.

Temple, Kaiser said, decided to create the public safety vice president position to “send a strong signal” that the school is ready to take a fresh look and to bring together the department, which had some tensions over the last year as officers complained of long hours and low staffing levels. Temple got some assistance from Maureen S. Rush, who had been a long-time vice president for public safety at the University of Pennsylvania before retiring late last year, Kaiser said.

Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon, president of the faculty senate, said she likes the idea of having a new safety liaison, but said systemic issues such as hunger, joblessness, and poverty also need to be addressed and that Temple needs to continue to build bridges with the community.

“No one here wants to create a bubble” around Temple, she said. “What they want to do is better engage with the community so no one feels there is the haves and the have nots. There can’t be gates that separate us and North Philly. We are North Philly.”

The new vice president role at Temple will be in addition to the executive director of public safety position, currently filled by Denise Wilhelm. She replaced Charles Leone, who resigned last spring.

» READ MORE: Temple's campus is on edge after a student was shot to death: ‘Students are afraid’

Griffin, 45, has been a member of the Delaware department for 23 years, holding the rank of captain for the last 10 years. She currently is in an operations command position, overseeing 50 officers that respond for calls over 82 square miles, but also has had leadership positions in the training academy and internal affairs.

She has taught in the department of criminal justice and sociology at the University of Delaware for nearly a decade. Her courses include introduction to criminal justice systems, problems of law enforcement, criminal justice ethics and a seminar on policing. She also has coached youth sports and served for four years as director of operations for the University of Delaware field hockey team, which offered another chance to mentor young adults.

“She brings a unique blend of education, experience, emotional intelligence, knowledge, skills and abilities to this role,” Kaiser said.

A native of Warriors Mark in central Pennsylvania, Griffin’s father was a police officer in State College Borough, home of Pennsylvania State University. She always enjoyed hearing him talk about how he helped people and had the chance to ride along with him when she was in high school.

“I just thought it was the most honorable job,” she said.

Griffin has a bachelor’s in sociology from Millersville University, a master’s in administration of justice with specializations in leadership and management from Wilmington University and a doctorate in sociology with specializations in gender and deviance from the University of Delaware.

She has had an interest in officer wellness, most recently helping to launch the Delaware State Police Wellness App, which provides confidential access to counseling services for officers, retirees, and their family members and allows officers to assess and rate their mental health.

Griffin said she sees her new job as a charge to “set the vision for the organization, be the face..., building those relationships, connecting with our neighborhoods and communities.”

Building trust will be her biggest priority, she said.

“Campus safety cannot do their job successfully if we don’t have buy in and engagement from the communities we serve,” she said.

She also hopes to connect with Temple’s criminal justice department and serve as a guest speaker — another chance to connect with students, she said.

“I love working with young adults,” she said.