Temple University's newly-appointed VP for Public Safety shares plans to keep students safe
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Temple University's newly-appointed vice president for public safety exclusively spoke with Eyewitness News Tuesday. Jennifer Griffin commented on the plans to keep students safe, on and off campus.
Griffin used to work as a Delaware state police trooper and provided protection for then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Now, she's responsible for the safety of 37,000 Temple University students.
"This place is beaming with excitement," Griffin said.
She started last week as the school's newly-appointed vice president for public safety.
"The organization is very strong and I think I was drawn to that they have a very good foundation and very good people," she said.
Griffin is now the person in charge of the more than 200 officers and staff that make up Temple University's campus safety team.
She's working to hire about 35 more police and security officers. Eleven police recruits are in the academy in various phases and are expected to be hired.
"We're going to really leverage a lot of the relationships we have here on campus and the different job fairs we already participate in to recruit," Griffin said. "And then, we need to maintain the officers we have."
She also wants to continuously remind students about current safety resources.
"You know, we have a guardian app now that students can use to walk. We've expanded the walking escorts," she said.
Griffin is working on a new program that screens off-campus landlords, making sure their apartments meet certain safety criteria, like having outdoor lighting, cameras and locks.
"So, the benefit of that is that families, parents students can look at that list and make educated choices about where they would like to put their student," Griffin said.
Griffin also plans to meet with Philadelphia police and other law enforcement agencies to build relationships.
"We really do work together very well. As a parent myself, your number one priority is safety," she said.
Griffin says "communication is the most important thing" when it comes to reassuring parents that their children are safe.
Griffin says she also plans to hold discussions with parents, hear feedback and provide campus safety updates. The first meeting is expected to happen next month.
