Tag Archives: CSS

Shooting close to campus tests new CSS communications policy

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By Sarai Flores

The scene of the shooting, 2036 N. Carlisle St.,which left two men in the hospital.

The scene of the shooting, 2036 N. Carlisle St.,which left two men in the hospital. | SARAI FLORES TTN

Philadelphia police responded to a shooting outside an apartment building less than a block off Main Campus Tuesday evening, which left two non-Temple-affiliated males in the hospital.

A 22-year-old male was found lying in the foyer of an apartment at 2036 N. Carlisle St. with a gunshot wound to his chest and was taken to Temple University Hospital in critical condition. Temple police said the man was visiting from New York.

A police spokesperson said that while officers were at the scene, they noticed a male driving away in a van. After briefly pursuing the vehicle, police reported that it crashed into a wall on North College Ave., near Girard College. The 19-year-old male driver was transported to Hahnemann University Hospital with injuries related to the incident.

The 19-year-old male’s involvement in the shooting is still being investigated and he had not been formally charged as of Wednesday night.

According to police, the 22-year-old male was in critical condition as of Wednesday and had yet to be questioned. No charges have been made to anyone involved in the shooting and police said they believe there were several males involved in the shooting.

Although the incident occurred around 9:38 p.m., Temple students were issued a TU Alert at 11 p.m. that night.

“The problem was we had a problem with our computer dispatching system,” said Charlie Leone, executive director of campus safety services.“It went down and so we didn’t get the information right away but Philly [police] was there very fast.”

The shooting came four months after a March 21 incident just off Main Campus where a female student was attacked and hit in the face with a brick by a group of teenage girls. Many students criticized the university for not immediately notifying them of the incident.

University officials initially said the incident wasn’t reported because it was off-campus, therefore not in their jurisdiction, and they weren’t notified about it by Philadelphia police until hours after. Leone said Tuesday’s incident showed a reformed communication policy since the attacks in March.

“Talking with the student population… they wanted more information. So we saw something like this and we wanted to make sure we had put the information out so they know what happened,” Leone said. “We’re trying to do better and we’re trying to improve.”

However, Inella Ray, a senior economics major, believes Temple police still have room to improve with communicating.

“I guess I come from a biased point of view because I grew up in the inner city, but I don’t rely on Temple police for safety,” Ray said. “I don’t think Temple police do a good enough of a job. We end up finding out about stuff very late. They need to do a better job communicating.”

Temple police have stated that they are continuing to heavily patrol the area.

Sarai Flores can be reached at sarai.abisag.flores@temple.edu or on Twitter @saraiaflores.

Kardon residents evacuated after car fire

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Just after 6 p.m., Wednesday, a car fire broke out in the basement parking area of the Kardon Atlantic Apartments on 10th Street.
An SUV belonging to Temple Facilities Management caught on fire in the basement and residents were evacuated, said Charlie Leone, acting executive director of Campus Safety Services.
Facilities operates several offices on the first floor of the building.
Firefighters controlled the blaze in less than an hour and residents were let back into the building around 7:30 p.m.
Students said they were shocked to see the response to the fire, which brought several fire trucks and filled the area of Berks Street under the SEPTA regional rail tracks with smoke.
“I didn’t come down at first, usually it is just a drill,” said Dave Toomey, a junior business major. “Then a cop came to my door so I came down.”
“I just heard the alarm and waited one minute” Margaret Thompson, a junior piano performance major, said. “It’s a bummer, I want to go home soon.”
Leone said there were no injuries in the incident, and the building did not sustain any damage. However, at least one firefighter on the scene was wheeled away in a stretcher receiving oxygen. He appeared to be alert and calm.

CSS speaks at second TSG meeting

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Charlie Leon, acting executive director of Campus Safety Services, spoke at Temple Student Government’s second meeting of the semester Monday night, Sept. 16, in room 200C of the Student Center. He went over past incidents, the trend of campus safety so far this semester and new initiatives.

The first incident from this semester which Leon highlighted was a Temple student who was jumped by other students on Aug. 22. The accused aggressors are being charged with aggravated assault.

The other incident Leone discussed was the block party on North 15th and Fontain streets on Aug. 23. He explained how Temple police, in cooperation with the other police forces in the area, broke up the block party early. After all was said and done, there were over 250 citations and referrals, 30 people were taken to the hospital for alcohol and four people arrested for operating an illegal bar.

Leone displayed a chart comparing number of incidents in August 2012 to August 2013 with a noticeable drop across the board.

However, as The Temple News reported in the Sept. 17 issue, campus police crackdowns have resulted in around 270 arrests or citations in the first four weeks of school.

He also announced a number of new programs including student focus groups for feedback, new safety awareness videos and a bike registration program designed at cutting down bike theft.

Temple Police will also be issued electronic tablets to make incident reporting easier, according to Leone. The last of the announced initiatives is called “Walking Escort Program” which allows Temple students to request an escort to get home by calling 8-9255 from a campus phone or 215-777-9255 between 4 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The second scheduled guest, Institutional Advancement’s Associate Director Student and Employer Networks, Maureen Fisher, was absent.

Next, the directors of TSG’s individual departments were announced then individually introduced themselves and explained what they are planning to accomplish for the future.

Two positions are still open within TSG, Speaker of the General Assembly and Auditor General. Both applications can be found in the TSG office and interviews will be conducted soon.

The meeting ended with the open forum where, among other issues, a number of students noted problems with their academic advising.

 

 

Car crashes into steps between Anderson and Gladfelter

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This minivan crashed into the steps between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday. | TYLER SABLICH TTN

This minivan crashed into the steps between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday. | TYLER SABLICH TTN

The driver of a minivan that swerved off of 11th Street and into the steps on Polett Walk between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday afternoon will soon be charged with DUI, said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.

The crash occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m. and no students were injured. All three people in the minivan were taken to Temple University Hospital for precautionary evaluations for head and neck injuries, Leone said.

“We are very fortunate no one was walking along Polett Walk at the time of the accident,” Leone said in an email.

The area of the steps was cornered off as of Wednesday evening as Facilities Management cleans up. Leone said minimal damage was caused to Temple property and people walking through the area can utilize the ramp adjacent to the steps.