After several decades dedicated to safety and security, the Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Public Safety semi-retires, but first she shares what she’s learned.
Maintaining community and uniformity is the key to managing a large-scale security team, according to Maureen Rush, Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Public Safety. Rush, one of Philadelphia’s first female police officers in the Street Patrol unit and the leader of the largest private police department in the state, retired from her role at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) on December 31, 2021 after a 45-year career in law enforcement.
Rush was drawn to law enforcement after a Department of Justice lawsuit paved the way for women to become police officers in Philadelphia. The court ordered the Pennsylvania city to hire more women officers, and Rush joined the first pilot program of 100 female and 100 male officers in 1976.