After the Virginia Tech shooting in which 32 people were murdered, many universities and colleges nationwide have looked at ways to increase security measures.
At some universities that do not permit their campus police to carry guns, school officials are reconsidering their policies. Typically, these are small, private universities located in the northern states, however, some private universities in Texas – like Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth – do not have armed campus police officers.
According to Lt. Jason Bone, A&M-Commerce crime information officer, every police officer in Texas is permitted a firearm. In the 1960s, campus law enforcement was developed because of civil unrest and the University of Texas shooting in 1966. In that incident, Charles Whitman killed 16 people and injured 31 others.
According to the University of Texas at Dallas Police Department and the Rice University Police Department, the Texas Legislature passed a bill in 1967 to allow universities to institute peace officers. In 1969, the legislature extended this right to permit private universities to create police departments.
The A&M-C University Police Department began in 1968. UPD officers are armed in three ways: with a handgun, baton and pepper spray.
“Whatever system they have now seems to be working. I don’t see the need for change,” undergraduate Mark Baker said. “I’m sure they prefer to carry weapons.”
UPD officers at A&M-C undergo extensive training in police academy and firearm training to become an officer. In addition to this training, officers take a firearm refresher course twice a year, which is double what is required by law.
UPD also will soon be able to notify students in case of an emergency by phone calls and text messages. Within one or two weeks, when students access their MyLeo accounts, they will have the option of signing up for this program. It is voluntary, but students are strongly encouraged to participate. This service will only be used if the university is closed or if there is some type of emergency.
This program is only part of the solution; A&M-Commerce is looking into placing PA systems into each of the buildings for instant alerts.
“I think there are pros and cons of everything. Just as long as a compromising event won’t happen it would be good to have safety precautions,” undergraduate Abi Peterson said.
One of the biggest criticisms from the Virginia Tech shooting was the campus was not locked down properly.
According to Bone, it is impossible to lock down a university campus because buildings are so spread out and there are several entrances to buildings. On average there are two or three uniform patrol officers on duty, which he said are not enough to cover a campus this size.
“There’s not even close to the amount, much less enough for more than two or three buildings,” Bone said. He added, “It’s not a high school; it’s a free and open campus.”