Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Public safety is of paramount importance for the students, faculty and families of Temple University. Find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about safety at Temple.

Safety and Security Services

What is the Best Nest program?

The Best Nest program is a collection of resources that can be used to help students and their families make informed off-campus housing decisions.

What is Flight?

Flight is Temple’s free fixed-route evening shuttle service operating on and around campus.

Flight runs daily and picks up and drops off passengers at over 40 stops along two routes. Any student, faculty or staff member with a valid OWLcard (the Temple University identification card) can use Flight.

For more information on Flight, including service area, hours of operation, frequently asked questions and other shuttle services, visit Shuttle Services on the Campus Operations site.

What is the Walking Escort Program?

Walking escorts are available to accompany individuals to locations within Temple’s patrol boundaries. Escorts are security bike officers that maintain communication with Temple Police. 

To request a walking escort, call 8-WALK (8-9255) from a campus phone or 215-777-9255 from a cell mobile phone. 

Flight is another option for traveling to off-campus residences.

What safety training is available for students at Orientation?

Safety is our top priority and students are introduced to programs and resources during their Temple Preview experience at Orientation. Students may also choose to register for an optional Owls in the City session, which goes into more detail about navigating life and staying safe in a major American city. 

What additional training is available for students and employees?

Introductory self-defense workshops are available to students and employees upon request. For more information check out our Safety Education programs.

Student Support

Beyond safety and security resources, how else does the university support students?

The university offers the Good Neighbor Initiative, which educates students about the surrounding neighborhood and how to be productive members of the community while attending Temple. 

The Health and Well-being Division at Temple University takes a holistic approach to promoting a campus culture of mental, physical and social wellness for all students, faculty and staff.

The path to positive health and well-being is unique to each individual and the division is here to support your journey. We are flexible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of our community and provide students, faculty and staff with medical care, mental health support and heath advocacy services.

As a parent, what can I do to help protect my student?

Parents can empower students to apply crime prevention planning and measures wherever they are present. They can encourage students to use the services and resources available at Temple, including:

For more information about living off campus – visit Safety Tips for Living Off Campus

Public Safety

Does Temple Police have relationships with external law enforcement agencies?

Yes. Public Safety maintains a collaborative network with the Philadelphia Police DepartmentSoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Police DepartmentPennsylvania State PoliceUpper Dublin Police Department (Ambler Campus) and other law enforcement agencies. Temple Police maintains memoranda of understanding with both the Philadelphia Police Department and with the Upper Dublin Police Department.

How are Temple police officers trained to protect campus?

Temple Police is currently staffed by over 100 sworn police officers (including supervisors and detectives) patrolling area campuses. Each officer is a Pennsylvania-certified law enforcement officer who has received state-mandated police recruit training at an accredited police academy and is authorized to enforce the law and make arrests similar to any municipal police department officer. 

Annually, Temple Police are certified through state-mandated, in-service training in accordance with the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission. Training modules include updates to the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, Vehicle Code and Rules of Criminal Procedure. Other training sessions focus on the core concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy, and address how to build respectful and effective relationships with the community while improving officer safety. Additional training includes certification in CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators.

What area does the Temple Police patrol?

On the Main Campus, Temple Police patrols the area between 9th Street to the east and 18th Street to the west and from Susquehanna Avenue to the north and Jefferson Avenue to the south. An additional patrol area between 13th Street to the east and Broad Street to the west extends south to Girard Avenue to include the Temple Sports Complex. 

Areas falling outside of these borders are patrolled by the Philadelphia Police Department.

An interactive map of Temple University's campuses and locations that includes accessibility paths, patrol zones, FLIGHT stops, and Code Blue phones can be found here: route.temple.edu 

Can Temple patrol any areas that it wants?

No. State law sets limits as to Temple Police’s jurisdiction.

How can I stay informed about incidents in Temple's patrol area?

TUalert is Temple University’s emergency notification system used to deliver critical information to our students, faculty, and staff via text and email. These alerts are only sent for situations, incidents, or emergencies that pose an immediate threat or hazard on campus or within the university patrol zone and require immediate action on the part of the campus community. TUalerts are sent in accordance with the Temple University Emergency Communication and Timely Warnings Policy (PDF)

Alert information for the general public is also posted on Temple University’s Twitter feed. 

Parents and families are encouraged to follow @TempleAlert on Twitter to receive updates.

When are TUalerts sent out?

TUalerts are sent when there is an imminent public safety danger and a threat to campus or when students are required to take action due to extenuating circumstance.

Where can I learn more about crime at Temple?

In compliance with the Clery Act, Temple publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which is published by October 1 each year and discloses the most recent three years of Clery crime statistics. Additionally, Temple maintains a public crime log with data that can be viewed by date, time and location.

What is the Jeanne Clery Act?

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Police and Campus Crime Statistics Act is a federal law that, among other things, requires institutions of higher education in the U.S. to disclose campus security information including crime statistics and security information. 

The Clery Act requires higher education institutions to give timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees, and to make public their campus security policies. It also requires that crime data is collected, reported and disseminated to the campus community and is also submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. 

Under the Clery Act, institutions of higher education are responsible for publishing an annual security report and maintaining a public crime log.

Does the university have crime prevention technologies in use?

Public Safety at Temple makes use of a robust surveillance camera system. In addition to acting as a deterrent, the footage from these cameras are available to dispatchers to get information to responding officers. 

Temple also offers TUSafe, a personal safety mobile app designed for users to connect directly with the Temple Police, start a virtual safe walk, or call 9-1-1. It offers additional features such as access to a one-touch panic button, flight maps, and more options to interface with Temple to request walking escorts, report a crime tip virtually and add campus maps.

What are recommended tips for staying safe on campus?

We are proud to be Philadelphia’s public university and strive to make our community conscious of the safety considerations that are part of living in a large city. 

  • Be aware of your surroundings.
  • Don’t leave your belongings unattended.  
  • Keep your doors locked. 
  • Do not prop open building doors. Report suspicious persons inside campus buildings.
  • Don’t bring valuable or sentimental items with you to campus.  
  • Never walk alone at night. 
  • Walk in groups in well-lit areas or use the Walking Escort Program for destinations on campus. Need to go off campus? Use Flight, Temple's free fixed-route evening shuttle service. 
  • Always let someone know where you’re going and who you’re with.
  • Familiarize yourself with the blue phones located throughout campus. 
  • Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.
  • Don’t fight if your wallet, phone, backpack, purse or other property is taken. Give it up immediately and then call 911. Your personal safety and well-being are far more important than any possession.

If a crime does occur on campus, notify Temple Police immediately by dialing 1-1234 from a campus phone or 215-204-1234 from a cell phone. 

What are recommended tips to stay safe in Philadelphia?

We are proud to be Philadelphia’s public university and strive to make our community conscious of the safety considerations that are part of living in a large city.

  • Be aware of your surroundings.
  • Don’t leave your belongings unattended.  
  • Keep the doors and windows to your residence locked. 
  • Do not prop open building doors. Report suspicious persons inside campus buildings.
  • If you have a car, keep valuables out of sight. Or, better yet, leave them at home. 
  • Never walk alone at night. 
  • Walk in groups in well-lit areas or use Flight, Temple's free fixed-route evening shuttle service on and around campus.
  • Always let someone know where you’re going and who you’re with. 
  • Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.
  • Don’t fight if your wallet, phone, backpack, purse or other property is taken. Give it up immediately and then call 911. Your personal safety and well-being are far more important than any possession.

If a crime does occur, call 911 and notify Temple Police immediately by calling 215-204-1234.

Community Action

How can Temple be a leader in helping to alleviate poverty and gun violence in North Philadelphia?

Temple’s approach to solving violence in the region is a holistic one and it will continue to invest in, and support, programs that create educational opportunities, economic development and research regarding substance use disorders, trauma and violence reduction.

Many of Temple’s faculty and staff study, raise awareness and work to prevent gun violence in Philadelphia. Temple University Hospital is the city’s first and most frequent responder to victims of gun violence and our medical community is deeply connected to this issue and is dedicated to making an impact. The practitioners and activists included below have been featured for their integral contributions to the field. For more information visit our Community Engagement & Research page.

What is the role of the Philadelphia Police Department in campus safety?

The university works closely with the Philadelphia Police Department. The Temple dispatching system is integrated with the Philadelphia Police 911. In addition to Temple patrol, officers from the 22nd police district patrol the areas surrounding the campus and collaborate daily with Temple regarding directing patrols. Temple University financially supports the supplemental Philadelphia Police patrols around the campus area into our neighboring community where students live off campus.

Philadelphia Police Department officers on patrol in this area maintain communication through the coordination with Temple’s dispatchers and Philadelphia Police dispatchers. As a communication redundancy, Temple patrol supervisors have Philadelphia Police radios to coordinate communication in real time. They are able to respond in a timely, coordinated manner.