Des Moines Register
04-24-07
Wake up, Iowa: Universities' police should carry guns to ensure safety
By PAT WARD
SENATE DISTRICT 30
This week I introduced an amendment to the education appropriations bill (SF
588) that would have required campus police at Iowa's public universities to carry
firearms. Unfortunately, 25 Democrats voted against the amendment, and it
failed on a 25-25 tie vote.
I believe we had a wake-up call with the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech
University where a student gunman killed 32 students. Times have changed and
whether we like it or not, they've changed in Iowa, too. Tragedies like the one at
Virginia Tech allow and require legislative bodies to re-evaluate policies.
Did you know that the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are the only
schools in the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences that do not arm their campus police
with guns? Similarly, officers at the University of Northern Iowa also are not
allowed to carry firearms. The reality is that large college campuses like we have
are nothing more than cities within cities - cities that don't have adequate police
protection.
The head of public safety at both ISU and the U of I agree that officers at Iowa's
universities should carry guns. Campus police officers are required to complete
certified training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. However, unlike other
law enforcement officers, the highest level of force campus police are allowed to
carry are Taser stun guns.
As we learned from the tragedy in Virginia, things can happen fast, and officers
need to have the ability to intervene just as quickly. These officers also need the
proper tools to ensure they can effectively protect our young people and faculty.
It's too bad that so many senators voted against this proposal, preferring instead
to pass the buck to the Iowa Board of Regents. Unfortunately, the Board of
Regents has not required armed campus police in the past when campus
violence occurred, and I don't know if they will now.
We must all realize it's a different world today, and Iowa's not insulated from
copycat crimes or terrorists.
The massacre at Virginia Tech was a tragic wake-up call. It's our No. 1
responsibility as legislators to ensure the safety of our citizens, including the
students at our state universities. It's our job to take action and take it now.