Spring Break
Arming campus police evokes mixed opinions
Betsy Cohen
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: News
02/26/09 - With the completion of yesterday's open police arms forum, it's up to the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education to make a decision on whether to arm the campus police at the state higher education institutions.
Students, faculty and the public were invited to voice their individual opinions to the panel from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The meeting, held in Atrium 1 of Memorial Union at the University of Rhode Island Kingston campus, had a large turnout with more faculty members than students.
It was the fourth public forum to be held on the matter. The others were held at the URI Feinstein Providence, the Community College of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island College campuses.
A total of 28 people stood behind the microphone to announce their opposition or support.
Michael Donohue, a URI police officer, was in favor of giving campus police guns. "Parents assume that we have the necessary means to keep their child safe, but we don't," Donohue said
The URI Police Department received arrest powers in 1980, nine years before Donohue joined the force. "Back in those days, people used their fists," he said.
"When a suspect enters deadly force in a situation, we do not have the force to meet them," Donohue said. "We, the police, become victims as well."
Donohue cited four instances when weapons were involved with URI students.
The first, he said, occurred on Oct. 5, 1997 when there was a gang-related incident, resulting in four shots fired on the Kingston campus.
The second, he said, involved four shots also being fired during a road rage incident in December of 1999.
The last two instances occurred within the past four years. Donohue said the police could have used weapons during the stabbing that occurred in September of 2007 in the Memorial Union ballroom during a dance and in light of a search of a URI student's vehicle.
"I believe that police have to protect themselves, but I don't know if it's necessary for them to be armed," said junior Seth Steinman, a URI student, tour guide and a resident of South Kingstown.
Students, faculty and the public were invited to voice their individual opinions to the panel from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The meeting, held in Atrium 1 of Memorial Union at the University of Rhode Island Kingston campus, had a large turnout with more faculty members than students.
It was the fourth public forum to be held on the matter. The others were held at the URI Feinstein Providence, the Community College of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island College campuses.
A total of 28 people stood behind the microphone to announce their opposition or support.
Michael Donohue, a URI police officer, was in favor of giving campus police guns. "Parents assume that we have the necessary means to keep their child safe, but we don't," Donohue said
The URI Police Department received arrest powers in 1980, nine years before Donohue joined the force. "Back in those days, people used their fists," he said.
"When a suspect enters deadly force in a situation, we do not have the force to meet them," Donohue said. "We, the police, become victims as well."
Donohue cited four instances when weapons were involved with URI students.
The first, he said, occurred on Oct. 5, 1997 when there was a gang-related incident, resulting in four shots fired on the Kingston campus.
The second, he said, involved four shots also being fired during a road rage incident in December of 1999.
The last two instances occurred within the past four years. Donohue said the police could have used weapons during the stabbing that occurred in September of 2007 in the Memorial Union ballroom during a dance and in light of a search of a URI student's vehicle.
"I believe that police have to protect themselves, but I don't know if it's necessary for them to be armed," said junior Seth Steinman, a URI student, tour guide and a resident of South Kingstown.
