Eight new officers join Temple University police force
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It's graduation day for more than three dozen Philadelphia and Temple police officers. The graduates are sorely needed as the city and university face a major staffing shortage.
Around 11 a.m. Friday, eight new Temple police officers took the oath alongside 30 new Philadelphia police officers.
"I'm thrilled. I feel blessed, fortunate and I'm just as proud as I could be," Steve Witherspoon, a father of a graduate, said. He is fighting back tears as his daughter makes the ultimate oath to Philadelphia. Brianna Witherspoon is following in her father's footsteps being a police officer at Temple University.
"I came into the department in 1987 as a police officer and I never imagined that my daughter would be doing the same," Witherspoon's father said.
"I've been on this campus all my life, since even before I was born. My dad worked here so I'm just happy to be in the Temple family here," Brianna Witherspoon said.
She is one of eight new police officers to graduate from the academy. They went through the same training as the 30 new officers who are joining the Philadelphia Police Department.
"I went to Temple. I graduated in 2018, walked the streets of North Philly, went to class at all hours of the day. I get it. It's rough out here," Mariah Vadel, a Temple University police officer, said.
The Philadelphia Police Academy graduates from Class 398 were sworn in just weeks after the murder of Chris Fitzgerald, a Temple police officer. He was the first Temple police officer to die in the line of duty.
The graduates say the reason why they continued on, even after the tragic death of one of their own, was because of a commitment to this city, this neighborhood and this school.
"I was a Temple student so I always respected and admired Temple police officers," Jacob Millevoi, a Temple police officer, said, "looking forward to getting out there protecting the community."
Temple has struggled to increase its police force at the same time as it struggles with rising crime.
Temple's vice president for public safety, Jennifer Griffin, attended the police academy graduation.
"We're extremely excited to see them graduating today," Griffin said. "It's an honor for them to graduate from the Philadelphia Academy. It lifts us up as an agency. We've gone through some really challenging times emotionally. It also lifts up our community to see new officers on the street."
She said the new Temple officers will have some onboarding and field training to do as they join the force.
