Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA
09-18-07
Regents delay vote on arming campus police
By CHARLOTTE EBY, Courier Des Moines Bureau
COUNCIL BLUFFS --The Iowa Board of Regents voted Tuesday to draw up a comprehensive security
policy for the campuses of Iowa's three public universities that would include
arming qualified campus officers.
That policy, a draft of which could be completed next month, would be subject to
final approval by the board.
The move comes after a gunman killed 32 people in a shooting spree this spring
at Virginia Tech and a request by Iowa's university presidents that trained officers
be allowed to carry firearms while on duty.
University of Northern Iowa President Benjamin Allen was pleased the board
appeared to support the idea of arming campus officers.
"If parents and students do not perceive the campus to be safe, we will have a
hard time marketing our campuses," Allen said.
Some state lawmakers sought changes in a current rule that prohibits campus
police in Iowa from going armed without presidential permission.
Backers of the idea of allowing campus officers in Iowa to carry guns said it
would allow them to respond more quickly to threats on campus.
Board of Regents President Michael Gartner said the board should have a
chance to look at an overall policy that includes details of arming campus
officers. Those details include who has guns, what types of guns are carried and
what type of training is required.
"I think the thrust of it was that everybody wants to do what's very best for a safe,
secure campus," Gartner said.
Board member Rose Vasquez opposes arming campus officers. She said the
universities are located in cities that already have police forces, and said no
particular incident showed it was necessary for campus officers to carry firearms.
"It's a great distinction for Iowa campuses to be such that we haven't had
incidents that called for the arming of officers," she said.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver also weighed in on the issue Tuesday, saying he
supported the university presidents’ request to allow campus officers to carry
guns.
Public safety officials from the campuses told the board of potential hazards their
security officers face, including dealing with people who are armed or have
extensive criminal histories.
In other instances, they said, campus officers are asked to assist local law
enforcement agencies and respond to calls that armed police officers normally
would handle.
"No one would ever dream of sending a police officer into a situation to respond
to a burglar or a hold-up alarm without a firearm," said Chuck Green, director of
public safety at the University of Iowa.
Brian Phillips, the student president at Iowa State University, said students
also were in favor of allowing officers to carry guns.
Phillips said a survey of ISU students found close to 60 percent were in favor of
arming campus officers, and similar results were found in surveys on the other
two public university campuses.
"A majority of students feel that it's necessary for their safety that campus police
are armed. Our campus is incredibly large, and for Ames police to get from one
side to the other if there were to be an incident ... it would take far too much time
to respond," Phillips said.
Phillips said same of those who opposed arming police felt firearms had no place
at an institute of higher learning. Others felt uncomfortable with the idea of having
firearms near the residence halls where they lived, Phillips said.
Contact Charlotte Eby at (515-) 43-0138 or chareby@aol.com.