Arming Campus Police

1100 Words3 Pages

Arming Campus Police
Over the past few years, campus police around the country have been given the responsibility of holstering a firearm. This has mainly been because of the increase in shootings at universities and schools, such as Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary. The possible danger of campuses being attacked by hostile individuals is a very high priority to school boards and universities. They do not want their students harmed, injured, or feeling unsafe around campus in any way. Because of this, measures have been taken to create a safer campus environment. Some of the methods include keeping the university aware of potential threats, informing them of the university’s safety decisions, and having safety services constantly available. One major safety decision that was discussed around universities, particularly the University of Rhode Island, was the option to arm campus police.
The University of Rhode Island held meetings and forums discussing the matter, asking students, alums, and parents their opinions on whether or not to arm the campus police with fire arms. There are 25 registered officers working for the school who have all received training, and continue to on an annual basis. Currently, the officers are still unarmed and continue to patrol the school with the capabilities of full-arrest. The debate whether to arm these officers is still on. The cost of arming the officers is 498,000 in total. The costs include mental aptitude tests, the guns, the bullets, the armor, and training. The school could invest initially 200,000 in costs, but annually would need to pay 298,000 to continue the program. The national statistics show that there has been an increase in violence and gun use on campuses (Justice Statisti...

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...squita, P. B. (n.d.). Forum on Arming Campus Police. Retrieved from URI Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies: http://web.uri.edu/nonviolence/forumonarmingcampuspolice/

Robert A. Weygand, J. V. (2013, march 24). Preliminary Report: A Reported Individual with a Gun. Retrieved from uri.edu: http://www.uri.edu/news/alert/Chafee%20Incident%20Report%204.29.13.pdf

Simmons, R. J. (2014, March 27). Brown Approves Arming Campus Police Officers, Effective Immediately. Retrieved from Brown University: http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2005-06/05-061.html

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 2004–2005 Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies
University of Rhode Island police and security department crime on campus through 2006 to 2008 statistic records, (2014, March 26) http://web.uri.edu/police/kingston-campus/
St. Jean, Kyle. Personal Interview. 28 03 2014.

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