Skip to Content Skip to Content

Division of Public Safety

A series on wellness and well-being
People walking along Locust Walk in the fall.

(On homepage) Additional resources for students, staff, faculty, and postdocs are offered through offices and centers across Penn and the Health System.

nocred

A series on wellness and well-being

A roundup of the six-part series from Penn Today that focuses on University resources available to students, faculty, staff, and postdocs for their mental, physical, technical, and financial health.
Keeping the Penn community safe and sound
mert students on their bikes on locust walk

Serving the same patrol zone as the Division of Public Safety, MERT acts as a partner to DPS and the Philadelphia Fire Department, responding to campus medical emergencies on evenings and weekends.

nocred

Keeping the Penn community safe and sound

The Division of Public Safety helps keep the University community safe through programs like the 24/7 Walking Escort Service, the UPennAlert Emergency Notification System, Penn Guardian, and the HELP Line.
Keeping a fire under control
Firefighters put out a controlled burn of a dorm room replica on Penn’s campus during DPS’s controlled burn event.

Firefighters from PFD’s Engine 5 were on hand to extinguish the fire on the dorm room replica with no overhead sprinkler system.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn’s Division of Public Safety)

Keeping a fire under control

Penn’s Division of Public Safety’s PennReady: Protecting Communities Through Resilience and Relationships Health and Safety Fair on Sept. 27 featured a controlled burn of a mock residential room, showcasing the efficacy of sprinkler and alarm systems, and the response of first responders and city firefighters.
How to report incidents of bias, misconduct and harassment
People walking along Locust Walk in autumn.

nocred

How to report incidents of bias, misconduct and harassment

Penn cultivates resources for students, faculty, and staff to report and address incidences of bias, misconduct, harassment, and more. Here, an overview of what to know.

Penn Today Staff

Things to know: E-scooters and safety
 People preparedness for fire drill and training to use a fire safety tank.

With the rising popularity of e-scooters, the Division of Public Safety is spreading the message of safe use and operation of these devices that are prohibited from campus buildings.

(Image: iStock / panom73)

Things to know: E-scooters and safety

Penn’s Gene Janda and Joe Romm and Andrew Baldwin of the Philadelphia Fire Department discuss lithium-ion battery fire risks.
Somber vigil
university chaplain embraces hillel rabbi

University Chaplain Chaz Howard embraces Rabbi Gabe Greenberg at a vigil in support of the Israeli community held Oct. 10 at the LOVE sculpture.

nocred

Somber vigil

The Tuesday gathering on College Green offered the Penn community a chance to grieve, pray, and offer comfort in the wake of the deadly attacks on Israel.

Penn Today Staff

Something for everyone at Penn’s Friends and Family Day
A family having lunch on a bench at Penn’s Friends and Family Day.

Image: Sabina Pierce

Something for everyone at Penn’s Friends and Family Day

This year’s event, open to Penn faculty, staff, and postdocs and their families, will include lunch, DJs, bounce houses, photo booths, and more.

Penn Today Staff

Act First, a PEP winner, wants to teach Philly students critical first aid—and the confidence to follow through
Kenneth Pham and Catherine Chang pose in business suites.

Catherine Chang and Kenneth Pham are co-founders of Act First and winners of the 2023 President’s Engagement Prize. Their nonprofit teaches Philadelphia high school students how to do CPR, prevent blood loss, and administer Narcan. 

(Image: Eric Sucar)

Act First, a PEP winner, wants to teach Philly students critical first aid—and the confidence to follow through

Kenneth Pham and Catherine Chang, winners of the 2023 President’s Engagement Prize, will teach Philadelphia high school students CPR, Narcan administration, and blood loss prevention. 
In Gary Williams, a ‘one-of-a-kind’ chief of police
Gary Williams sitting down and smiling at a table outdoors

Chief of Police Gary Williams, pictured in February 2023.

(Image: Eric Sucar)

In Gary Williams, a ‘one-of-a-kind’ chief of police

Vice President of the Division of Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson appointed Gary Williams as chief of police in January. He discusses how he got there and how he’s kept—and keeps—the Penn community safe.
For new DPS VP, it’s all about ‘actions, not words’
Kathleen Shields Anderson leans against the wall of DPS headquarters

Kathleen Shields Anderson, vice president of the Department of Public Safety, outside of the DPS headquarters.

For new DPS VP, it’s all about ‘actions, not words’

Following a national search, Kathleen Shields Anderson was named vice president of Penn’s Division of Public Safety.