Sioux City Journal, IA
11-01-07
Campus police in Iowa will carry guns
By Charlotte Eby Journal Des Moines Bureau
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The Iowa Board of Regents on Wednesday closed the book
on a long-running debate, voting to require campus police to carry firearms after
they meet rigorous firearms training standards.
The issue resurfaced this year after a gunman killed 32 people during a shooting
spree on the Virginia Tech campus this spring.
Some state lawmakers urged the board to change a policy that prohibits campus
police at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of
Northern Iowa from carrying guns without presidential permission.
The board voted 6-2 to approve those changes, earning the praise of Iowa Gov.
Chet Culver.
"As I have stated repeatedly, public safety is my top priority," Culver said in a
statement after the vote. "I commend the regent presidents, public safety
directors and the Board of Regents for taking this important step to increase the
safety and security of our campuses."
Board member Robert Downer said after reviewing crime statistics on the three
campuses, he came to the reluctant conclusion that arming campus police was
the right decision.
Downer said he thinks of the college communities "as islands of calm and sanity
and non-violence, and unfortunately that's not a sentiment and an aspiration that
is realistic in today's world."
Board President Michael Gartner voted against the proposal, arguing an armed
officer would not have prevented crimes on the campuses, and cited statistics
showing a large majority of the crimes on campus are alcohol or drug related.
Board member Rose Vasquez was the other vote against arming campus
officers. She said the campuses in Iowa City, Ames and Cedar Falls also could
be served by city police departments.
"To me it just doesn't register that we need to do it, but I understand that there's
strong sentiments in favor of it, and clearly that won out in the vote," Vasquez
said.
University of Northern Iowa President Benjamin Allen had recommended arming
campus officers.
"I thought what they did today was something that was handled very well -- a lot
of analysis, a lot of discussion, a lot of data," Allen said.
Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy said he is pleased the
matter is settled.
"There are many different opinions about whether or not having campus police
armed will improve campus safety, and it's ultimately up to professionals in the
field to evaluate that," Geoffroy said.
Surveys of students showed a majority of them supported the move.
Andrew Morse, president of UNI's student government, said he was satisfied with
the board's decision.
"Public Safety has caught highly sought-after criminals on our campus before,
and with that, we need to look at the bigger picture of this, and that's the
university is subject to the same dangers that anywhere else is subject to," he
said.
Not everyone supported the decision. The regents were presented with a petition
containing the names of close to 120 ISU students and Ames residents opposed
to arming campus police.
Dave Zarifis, public safety director at the University of Northern Iowa, welcomed
the news that campus police would carry firearms.
He said the campus police force there already undergoes firearms qualification
once a year. They'll consider doing that twice a year, Zarifis said, to meet the
new rigorous standards set by the board.