Debate Sparked as a Central Pennsylvania University Arms Security Officers
Susquehanna University has recently enacted a new policy that arms retired state troopers who serve on the school’s security force.
- By Sydny Shepard
- January 03, 2019
A new policy that arms security officers at Susquehanna University in central Pennsylvania is sparking debate among the students on campus.
The university became the most recent school in Pennsylvania to arm its security force with a policy that allows retired state troopers serving on the security force to carry a gun on campus.
Students of the university have begun protesting the move, explaining that they felt left out of the decision-making process and have concerns about potential increases in excessive force.
Many of Pennsylvania’s public and state-related universities, including Temple, Penn State, Putt, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel and West Chester, all have armed police forces.
The topic of armed security on college campuses has become a frequent discussion as the rate of school shootings rise in the United States. As a solution to protect campuses, many universities and colleges have moved to arm security officers who have prior experience on a police force.
While it is too early to tell whether or not armed security officers decrease the amount of crime on a campus, students at Susquehanna University believe the presence of weapons could increase shootings.
Students also brought up the state of Pennsylvania does not have an open-carry law, meaning students could not have weapons to protect themselves.
Armed officers on any campus is a difficult topic to maneuver, but given the fact that college and university campuses are basically large cities that operate separately from the world around them, it makes sense that their own police and security forces would want the ability to be armed.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.