“The best-trained people for [providing campus security] are not given the tools to do their job,” FOP President and Public Safety patrolman Jim Lanzi said in an interview. “We need to have the ability to respond.”
The FOP is petitioning the University administration to reevaluate its current policy of prohibiting officers from carrying firearms and to consider arming the 15 trained and sworn policemen on the force, Lanzi said.
“This [current policy] is based in part on a long tradition at Princeton of a supportive and respectful relationship between public safety officers and students that we believe could be damaged by arming our public safety officers,” General Manager for Safety and Administration Laurel Harvey said in an e-mail, adding that students may be less likely to approach officers who are armed for help.
Lanzi, however, said that not having firearms limits the ability of campus police to respond to a shooter or other dangerous situation on campus, explaining that current policy calls for officers to stay away from the action and wait for backup from municipal officers, who are not as familiar with the layout of the campus.
The officers currently carry batons, handcuffs and OC — a substance similar to pepper spray — and wear bulletproof vests.
Arming policy
A formal dialogue between the administration and the Department of Public Safety has not begun on the issue. “As with any policy, this is one we will continue to review on a regular basis,” Harvey said.
Lanzi, however, believes that the administration has never “seriously” considered the request.
He stressed that armed officers would still practice 100 percent community policing, meaning they interact directly with the people on campus. They are required to be on foot for a portion of every shift.
“It’s not going to change what we do,” Lanzi said. “We’ll continue to ... be part of the community.”
Lanzi raised the question of “why ... municipal departments [are] prepared and equipped,” referring to Township and Borough police. “There is no geographical difference,” he said.
Harvey, however, said that the proximity of the Borough and Township police decreases the need for an armed campus police force.
While some colleges and universities arm their campus police, Harvey said, “we believe that the right policy for Princeton is to rely on municipal police officials for any police activities that require the use of firearms.”
“We can’t protect ourselves,” Lanzi said, “and we can’t protect the community.” He noted that waiting for local police results in a delay.
USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 said that “In light of the recent shootings, it seems as if there is some need at this junction, though it might need a bit more study.” He added that he would like to see the University undertake “fair analysis” before making such a move.
Other campuses that have armed their police forces seem to be in more dangerous neighborhoods, Weinstein noted.
Student perspectives
The demand to arm Public Safety officers has met with mixed reactions on campus.
Students and alumni have organized to support arming the officers. Mike Westrol ’07, a former student manager for Public Safety, created a facebook.com group, “Princetonians for a Safer Campus,” to promote his position.
“Essentially, they’re just trying to properly equip themselves for the possibility of violence,” Westrol said. “Ideally, I don’t believe guns should be on Princeton’s campus either, but unfortunately, our society is not in a state where that is feasible or smart.”
“I think it’s absolutely absurd that they’re not [armed] at the moment,” Braeden Kepner-Kraus ’10, a member of the group, said. “If Public Safety officers are here to keep us safe, it makes sense they be given all the tools they’re trained to use. They ought to be given the ability to defend themselves.”
Some students, however, questioned whether the University’s environment warrants armed police officers.
“I don’t feel like it’s necessary,” Celine Satija ’11 said. “I think Princeton is a very safe area, and I don’t think it would make me feel any more secure about my safety.” She added, though, that arming officers also “doesn’t make me feel less safe,” either.
Conor Gannon ’11 called the request “unreasonable,” while Don Kim ’09 said he worried that arming campus police could lead to situations getting out of control.
“When they react to situations it could potentially be much worse,” Kim said.
In response to those who believe the University does not require an armed police force, Lanzi said that there may be a “false sense of security.”
“There have been guns on Princeton’s campus in the hands of criminals,” Westrol said, citing gang activity on University Place. “Thankfully nothing has happened, but there have been several incidents on campus that could have been disastrous.”
“Students think that Public Safety officers just deal with students all day, but it’s a very open campus where anybody can walk on,” Westrol explained.
The FOP’s request to arm has the support of Princeton Township Police, as long as the officers are properly police trained, Township Police Capt. Robert Buchanan said.
“As long as the University would accept responsibility ... for training, I can’t see [the officers] not being armed,” Buchanan said, adding that Princeton is “a high-profile university, with important people visiting and going to school there.”
Arming policies around the United States
Of the 74 percent of American four-year colleges and universities that employ sworn police officers, 90 percent arm their officers, according to a report issued in February 2008 by the U.S. Department of Justice that cited statistics from 2004 and 2005.
Public universities are more likely than private ones to employ sworn officers. At private schools, the decision rests with the school’s administration, whereas state governments can dictate that public schools use armed officers.
Oregon, Idaho and Pennsylvania recently mandated that their state schools use armed officers.
The number of armed private schools is also growing, however. For example, Bucknell University, which has a student population of roughly 3,500 and a 0 percent crime rate, is undergoing the process of arming its officers, Bucknell Public Safety Chief Jason Friedberg said.
“The administration asked us to look into the necessity of arming,” Friedberg said.
“Our officers are tasked to [do the] same job as municipal police departments and should hold the same tools to do that job,” he explained.
The majority of students at the Pennsylvania school came out in favor of the decision, Friedberg said. “Virginia Tech opened a lot of eyes, and Northern Illinois put the exclamation point on it.”
The administration at Bucknell viewed the option to arm with “critical eyes,” and “it was a decision they made reluctantly,” he said.
Other private schools such as Brown, Smith College and Brandeis University have also recently made the decision to arm their officers.
Original URL: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/03/28/20592/