Proposed bill would arm Cal U cops
A local state representative has introduced legislation that would require all on-duty officers at state-owned universities to be armed at all times, saying he wants to give campus police officers all the tools of the trade that are available at their disposal. The legislation, H.B. 509, introduced by State Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, would remove the discretionary language in state law that gives university presidents the option to decide whether or not their campus police officers should be equipped with guns. Officers at nine of the 14 state-owned universities carry guns at all times, and officers at one university carry guns when serving warrants or responding to incidents.
Currently, the 14 campus officers at California University of Pennsylvania do not carry firearms; as per a decision by President Angelo Armenti Jr. Cal U is one of four state-owned universities with officers that do not carry guns.
Armenti explained Tuesday that when he arrived at Cal U in 1992, campus officers were not armed, and at that time, seven of the 14 state-owned universities did not have armed officers. Armenti said the issue has been raised a number of times since 1992, but he has been waiting for someone to make a case as to how arming the campus officers would make the students safer before he supports the idea.
Just as he would be concerned that a “misunderstanding or miscommunication” could lead to students being harmed accidentally, Armenti said he would also be concerned that a campus police officer could make a traffic stop and encounter someone inside the vehicle with a weapon.
“I’m concerned about the officers and the safety of the students,” Armenti said. “It is not clear that arming the officers will make the campus safer, and as a result, I haven’t changed the status quo.”
However, Armenti added that if the bill passes, he will “abide by it and make the best of it.”
Solobay said he believes that giving campus officers guns makes sense.
“It is a natural process to have all the tools of the trade to do business,” Solobay said.
“It truly comes down to a safety issue,” he said. “We’re putting officers in a bad position.”
Solobay pointed out that more than two-thirds of the state-owned university presidents have opted to give their officers guns. Solobay said he was approached by the union representing the officers regarding the introduction of such a bill. Cal U campus police chief James Hansen could not be reached for comment regarding the legislation.
Solobay said oftentimes officers with guns merely act as a deterrent. But, he said he believes that “true bad guys” will not be deterred, whether campus officers are armed or not.
Targeting Cal U, Solobay said the university recently retrofitted sprinklers in old dormitories, making them safer. He said in many cases parents of university students think that the students have the same protection as at home and if the students were walking the streets in their hometowns, they would likely have police protection from armed officers.
“It’s frustrating in one sense because we’re not letting these police officers have all the necessary tools,” Solobay said. “I’m not looking to make the shootout at the OK corral.”
He added that in 90 percent of the cases, campus officers are police officers in other communities with Act 120 and municipal police academy training anyway.
Under the bill, co-sponsored by 24 other legislators, all state-certified university police officers would be required to carry firearms. The bill was referred to the committee on education on Monday.
Of the 14 state owned universities, officers at the following carry guns: Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Kutztown, Millersville, Slippery Rock and West Chester.
In addition to the officers at California, officers at Clarion, Indiana and Lock Haven do not carry weapons and officers at Mansfield carry guns when responding to incidents or to serve arrest warrants. Campus police who do not carry guns typically carry pepper spray and batons.