Forum supports arming Cal U officers
CALIFORNIA – The California University Forum is recommending that the university’s public safety officers be allowed to carry guns. The forum, which includes students, alumni, faculty and staff, voted 23 to 8 by secret ballot in favor of allowing the officers to carry guns. The student government previously voted 13 to 12 in support of arming the officers. Both votes are only recommendations. The final decision is up to the Council of Trustees, which will meet on March 7.
Interim Chief of Public Safety Jim Hansen was the only member of the public to address the forum, urging the members to vote in favor of allowing his officers to carry firearms.
“Recently, the university dedicated a Rights and Responsibility monument. The very first part of it says students have the right to a safe campus and the university has a responsibility to provide a safe campus. The mission of the University Police Department is to make the campus safe,” Hansen said.
Hansen said his officer’s firearms policy would be more restrictive that the policies in place for most municipal officers. He said the officers will be required to pass a firearms training class including at least 40 hours of classroom and range work. He anticipated that it would take at least six months to fully implement the firearms policy if the trustees give approval for the weapons.
“As the police chief, I have never been comfortable in putting officers on the street unarmed, yet expecting them to fully function as police, including being the back up to the borough police,” Hansen said.
Hansen said the university police have assisted the borough police 218 times in the past two years. In addition, four university officers have been assaulted by suspects in the past year, six knives and a set of brass knuckles have been confiscated. Hansen said the Cal U campus, like all campuses in the state system, has changed over the years and is a much more dangerous place than it was in the past.
John Cencich, the chairman of the university’s Justice, Law and Society department, was invited to sit on the forum for discussion purposes.
“The proper protection for the officers is to arm them,” Cencich said.
Cencich said the current policy is for the university police to be equipped with mace and if it is determined that armed police are needed, the borough or state police are called for assistance.
“I can tell you unequivocally, that if I had to wait 30 minutes, 30 seconds or even three seconds for a properly-equipped back-up officer to arrive, I wouldn’t be here today,” Cencich said. “I’ve been in the unfortunate circumstance of having to decide whether to use deadly force or not and I’ve had to live with the decision,” Cencich said.
“We have an obligation to the families of these brave men and women, to their spouses, children, parents, even grandchildren. They need to be given every possible protection in order to come home safe,” Cencich said. “It is also the protection of us, our students and our visitors.”
Dr. Allan Golden, the vice president for administration and finance and the administrator in charge of public safety, said he does not support arming the officers.
“California University is all about learning. We are an educational institution first and foremost. In my opinion, we should be proud that we are the only institution left in the state system without armed officers,” Golden said. “We are not in an urban environment. I do not believe our public safety officers need to be armed.”
Another of the forum senators, Mark Gazi, who has been a university public safety officer for the past 18 years, noted that there have been numerous incidents in which he has faced an armed assailant on campus.
“We’re given bulletproof vests to wear. Are we to be human shields if something happens?” Gazi said.
Gazi said that the university is no longer a utopian community and unless the campus is walled with only one entrance, no vehicles and each person entering is patted down for weapons, the public safety officers need to be armed.
“We need to do our job for everyone here. That’s the oath we take. We’re not going to become gun-toting cowboys from the Wild West,” Gazi said. “Every police officer in the community where you live is armed. Take away their guns – would you feel safe?”
Dr. Burrell Brown voiced his opposition to arming the officers, citing the shooting of 12-year-old Michael Ellerbe in Uniontown by police several years ago after the boy ran from a stolen vehicle.
“Sure we live in a violent society, but do we reduce the violence by having more guns?” Brown said.
Cencich said that when officers receive lethal weapons training they also are trained to de-escalate a situation so it isn’t necessary to use the weapon.
Dr. Joyce Hanley said she would like the university trustees to look into providing the officers with non-lethal methods of subduing suspects as well as the possibility of arming the officers.
“I think it may be a little broader than just a gun issue,” Hanley said.
The trustees will hold their quarterly meeting March 7 and may consider the gun issue at that time.