Temple University Police Staffing Shortage Is 'A Public Health Crisis,' Union Says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There are new concerns about campus safety at Temple University. Police officers say staffing is still a problem.
The union representing Temple University Police says the force was extremely understaffed this weekend. They took their messaging to Twitter, issuing a warning that the situation was extremely dangerous for the public.
The head of the police association met with Eyewitness News and took the school to task, flatly saying safety is a severe issue.
"We believe it's a public health crisis and the university isn't corresponding with us. There's no communication between us and the administration," said Alec Shaffer with the Temple University Police Association.
It's alleged the department is stumbling through inadequate staffing levels, there's poor morale and the union claims their schedule is filled with officers who are assigned mandatory overtime.
The union tells CBS3 an eye-popping 41,000 hours of overtime have been racked up since last July.
"It encourages people to leave. You don't really see this type of overtime and forced overtime in other departments," Shaffer said.
In a statement, the university indicated there are improvements to staffing. The campus safety department has a vacancy rate of 24%.
The union in March told CBS3 that figure was approaching 40%.
The university also explains a handful of officers were not on patrol this weekend due to annual training.
