Temple Parent Hires Private Security Force For Off-Campus Patrols

PHILADELPHIA — Children's safety is a primary concern for parents. And one parent whose son attends Temple University has taken a major step to ensure he and others in the area are safe.

Jennifer Hedberg has hired a private security firm to conduct foot and vehicle patrols around off-campus areas near Temple.

According to Fox 29, Hedberg hired JNS Protection Services recently, a decision spurred by the death of Samuel Collington.

Collington, 21, of Prospect Park, 21, was shot and killed at about 1:30 p.m. in November 2021 outside his off-campus apartment on the 2200 block of North Park Avenue.

JNS Protection Services was initially conducting patrols just three days a week.

But according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, other Temple parents learned of the patrols and chipped in, leading to

patrols being conducted five days a week.

The outlet reports Hedberg is planning to fund the patrols until her son graduates in the spring.

Temple in January announced it is partnering with former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

Ramsey will be conducting a safety audit for the university.

Temple also formed a Task Force on Violence Reduction Strategies, which will be used to keep key constituents, including parents and North Philadelphia residents, engaged in enhancing safety. The task force is one of many efforts designed to help elevate Temple's anti-violence research and programs and to devise new solutions to help address Philadelphia's gun violence epidemic.

Additionally, Temple launched the RAVE Temple Guardian app.

Students will be able to connect directly with Temple University Police through the app, enabling them to request both virtual or physical escorts and to report any suspicious activity.

Temple will encourage all students, faculty and staff members to download the free Guardian app at the App Store or Google Play.

Other campus safety enhancements are already underway, including:

• 30 percent expansion of FLIGHT, Temple’s on-demand evening shuttle service, which added two new shuttles for the spring semester. A rider survey is underway and will be used to inform further improvements.
• Technology enhancements are being installed on campus including additional lighting, cameras, and emergency phones.
• The number of Philadelphia Police Officers patrolling nearby areas has been doubled.
• New Temple police officers and trainees are being hired following January recruitment efforts. So far, four new police officers are on patrol, six individuals have been hired as officers or trainees, and 12 more already-trained officers have begun the interview process. With an additional 70 applicants, Temple hopes to have a sizable number for its next police academy.
• A highly successful, day-long hiring event was hosted for Allied Universal, Temple’s on-campus security provider, to help it increase its force.
• Temple University Hospital continues to look at gun violence through a different lens with its Temple Safety Net, led by Amy Goldberg, surgeon-in-chief for Temple Health and interim dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, and Scott Charles, trauma outreach manager. A number of its innovative outreach programs, like Cradle to the Grave, Fighting Chance, and Safe Bet, continue to help reduce the number of Philadelphians who suffer firearm injuries.