Arming of Campus Police

• NCJ Number: 184513
• Journal: Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2000 Pages: 27-32
• Author(s): Charles P. Wilson A.A.; Shirley A. Wilson Ph.D.
• Editor(s): Peter J. Berry
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 5 pages
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper studies the number of campus law enforcement agencies in the New England area as a means of providing comparative data for use in considering legislation on arming on-duty campus police in Rhode Island.

Abstract

To survey the use and deployment of armed campus police officers in the New England area, agencies were selected based on those having Internet web sites listed by the Campus Law Enforcement Resource web site. Of agencies listed, 55 public and private campus law enforcement agencies were located in the targeted area and were sent questionnaires. Questionnaires gathered information on whether the agency was a public or private institution and whether campus police officers had full powers of arrest, search, and seizure. Questionnaires also sought information on requirements for mandated law enforcement training and on known incidents of weapon incidents involving campus police officers. Of the 28 agencies that responded to the survey, 24 (86 percent) reported having full law enforcement authority and powers, and that they were required to attend mandated training programs and take an oath of office. In about 14 (50 percent) of the agencies, campus police officers were armed; 36 percent were armed both on and off duty, 11 percent were armed while on duty only, and 4 percent were provided weapons for training or special occasion details. Six of the agencies reported having some form of weapons discharge incident. Of 9 incidents reported, 1 was for firing at crime suspects, 2 involved accidental discharges, and 6 were to dispatch vicious or seriously wounded animals. All States in the New England area except Rhode Island maintained some level of both public and private educational institutions with armed campus police agencies, and only Rhode Island had specific prohibitive statutory language against the arming of campus police officers. Differences between public and private campus law enforcement agencies are noted, and implications of the survey findings for legislative change in Rhode Island are discussed. 18 references