Faculty group backs guns for police
Clara Hogan - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
After an hour-long debate Tuesday, the UI Faculty Council voted in favor of arming UI police.
By a 12-3 vote, the council solidified its support of a recommendation - from officials at the three Iowa regent universities - to give guns to the university force.
The UI started to review public-safety measures following the Virginia Tech shootings in April.
The University of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate voted 11-3 last week against arming the police; the Iowa State University Faculty Senate is scheduled to vote next week.
A few UI Faculty Council members expressed concern about law-enforcement officers accidentally shooting someone, as was the case in 1996, when an Iowa City police officer shot and killed local artist Eric Shaw in his studio. The officer said he thought Shaw was holding a gun; he was holding a phone.
UI Faculty Council President Victoria Sharp said the group's decision will provide "positive guidance" to UI President Sally Mason, who plans to submit a report on the issue to the state Board of Regents on Sept. 10.
The regents will discuss the matter at this month's meeting.
Because the UI Faculty Senate will vote on the matter Sept. 11, the day after Mason's proposal is due, Sharp said she will see if Mason can delay her proposal until after that vote.
"There is an open forum on Thursday, and [Mason] has been reaching out for advice from faculty and the community," Sharp said. "But it is important for her to hear the [Faculty Senate's] voice."
The three state universities are the only schools in their conferences whose police forces do not carry guns.
Charles Green, the assistant vice president for the UI police, told the Faculty Council members that the university officers are not security guards, they are sworn police officers who have received the same training as the Iowa City police.
Although the UI's officers can get permission to be armed in special situations, he noted that in an unexpected situation, they would be unprepared.
"If there was a shooting situation, my officers would be running out of the building with everyone else," Green said. "They would be in more danger than anyone else - the gunman would take out that uniform first."
He said he was losing top officers to other police departments because of the lack of resources.
"They are put in situations that armed police officers are put in all of the time, but they don't have the appropriate protection," he said. "If we decided not to arm them, I ask that we don't put them in these unsafe situations."
Faculty Council Vice President Michael O'Hara, one of the 12 to vote for the recommendation, said he held a lot of concerns before educating himself.
"I am now reassured that we would be better off rather than worse off," he said. "This would bring us into the complete mainstream of America policing and campus policing."
E-mail DI reporter Clara Hogan at:
clara-hogan@uiowa.edu
By a 12-3 vote, the council solidified its support of a recommendation - from officials at the three Iowa regent universities - to give guns to the university force.
The UI started to review public-safety measures following the Virginia Tech shootings in April.
The University of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate voted 11-3 last week against arming the police; the Iowa State University Faculty Senate is scheduled to vote next week.
A few UI Faculty Council members expressed concern about law-enforcement officers accidentally shooting someone, as was the case in 1996, when an Iowa City police officer shot and killed local artist Eric Shaw in his studio. The officer said he thought Shaw was holding a gun; he was holding a phone.
UI Faculty Council President Victoria Sharp said the group's decision will provide "positive guidance" to UI President Sally Mason, who plans to submit a report on the issue to the state Board of Regents on Sept. 10.
The regents will discuss the matter at this month's meeting.
Because the UI Faculty Senate will vote on the matter Sept. 11, the day after Mason's proposal is due, Sharp said she will see if Mason can delay her proposal until after that vote.
"There is an open forum on Thursday, and [Mason] has been reaching out for advice from faculty and the community," Sharp said. "But it is important for her to hear the [Faculty Senate's] voice."
The three state universities are the only schools in their conferences whose police forces do not carry guns.
Charles Green, the assistant vice president for the UI police, told the Faculty Council members that the university officers are not security guards, they are sworn police officers who have received the same training as the Iowa City police.
Although the UI's officers can get permission to be armed in special situations, he noted that in an unexpected situation, they would be unprepared.
"If there was a shooting situation, my officers would be running out of the building with everyone else," Green said. "They would be in more danger than anyone else - the gunman would take out that uniform first."
He said he was losing top officers to other police departments because of the lack of resources.
"They are put in situations that armed police officers are put in all of the time, but they don't have the appropriate protection," he said. "If we decided not to arm them, I ask that we don't put them in these unsafe situations."
Faculty Council Vice President Michael O'Hara, one of the 12 to vote for the recommendation, said he held a lot of concerns before educating himself.
"I am now reassured that we would be better off rather than worse off," he said. "This would bring us into the complete mainstream of America policing and campus policing."
E-mail DI reporter Clara Hogan at:
clara-hogan@uiowa.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 16
Michael Shaw
posted 9/05/07 @ 7:08 AM EST
Is this an opportunist response by the University police? Is this a knee jerk response to the tragic yet isolated incidents at Virginia Tech? Were the VT campus police armed? Would armed campus security have been able to stop Gang Lu? The University police had letters in that case, similar to the VT case, that indicated Gang Lu was potentially violent. (Continued…)
Ray
posted 9/05/07 @ 7:29 AM EST
Arm certain members of the faculty.
Conduct firearms training and how to respond.
Make it legal to carry concealed firearms on campus.
Do not tell others which faculty members have permits. (Continued…)
Tom
posted 9/05/07 @ 9:08 AM EST
It's good to to see that there is some common sence on campus. Yes, VT Police are armed. No, UI police were not armed during the Gang Lu incident. When did the killing stop in both of these events?? When the gunman was in fear that he would be confronted by properly armed police forces! It time to join the the 21st century; arm your campus police. (Continued…)
Reader
posted 9/05/07 @ 9:51 AM EST
Where is the common sense? The faculty at UI need mental help.
DPDCopsWife
posted 9/05/07 @ 10:01 AM EST
As the wife of a police officer, and a U of I alum, I never understood why the officers on campus were not armed. For them to be responding to calls on a campus with a population that is larger than many of the towns in Iowa, it is imperative that we give these officers the best resources to do their jobs. (Continued…)
Rush Shortley
posted 9/05/07 @ 10:06 AM EST
As an alumnus for all these many years, I am truly disappointed that these scions of intellectual excellence have thrown all that over for a petty emotional, knee-jerk reaction to an incident that could not be prevented by the VT police being armed and forewarned. (Continued…)
chris
posted 9/05/07 @ 10:13 AM EST
Arming security will not make the UI campus safer. Give security guns and they will use them. That is scarry.
TW
posted 9/05/07 @ 12:28 PM EST
The Gang Lu incident could have been prevented and the administration knows it. Had they acted more prudently and in a timely manner it probably never would have happened. (Continued…)
T. Larson
posted 9/05/07 @ 1:59 PM EST
We're not talking about arming security guards at the mall, we're talking campus police who have the same training as Iowa City police officers. I'm not opposed to arming them. (Continued…)
Tom
posted 9/05/07 @ 2:09 PM EST
Arming Campus Security is not the issue. Arming Campus POLICE is. I would not want an armed security guard on campus either. As to trainig issues, police are trained in how to handle all type of situations including those with mental health issues. (Continued…)
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