Campus Adjusts to Armed Police Force

October 19, 2008 by Corey Malecka

As of July 25, 2008, Columbus State has equipped its 16 sworn police officers with firearms to help ensure that violence and crime is appropriately and adequately dealt with.
 
"In order for there to be a safe campus they needed an armed law enforcement presence as well being prepared for a law enforcement response armed in case there is ever an incident on campus involving a gunmen," said Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 9 President Jim Gilbert.
 
"There is no change in anything being done there other than the fact that if there is a robbery on campus, a man with a gun or anything like that they are going to see a trained adequate response now from the police officers."
 
The idea of campus police carry firearms during school hours have been in fact floating in the air beginning when Columbus State commissioned there own police force in 1983.
 
"When the Columbus State Police where formed the Board of Trustees at that time made the decision that our Officers would not carry firearms but they would be fully certified Police Officers and that is the way it had been up until this past year," said Vice President for Institutional Advancement William Kopp. "It’s a different environment right now and the Board felt that to enhance safety in campus that that was an important step to take."
 
It was realized that Columbus State’s campus community needed sufficient protection immediately after the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007 leaving 33 dead and many others wounded.
 
John Kleberg, retired Ohio State Student Affairs Risk Assessment Director, was hired to examine the Public Safety Department at Columbus State to determine if it was necessary to allow campus police to bear guns. The report by John Kleberg specifies that the college had a choice; allow their officers to carry weapons, or to take away their ability to make arrests.
 
On September 20, 2007 the Columbus State Board of Trustees met privately to hash over the report’s findings. They found it would be best to allow Columbus State officers to be armed.
 
Board President Suzanne Stilson Edgar had this to say: "My opinion is that allowing the officers to carry firearms was the correct decision based upon input from all the stakeholders and is predicated on the desire and responsibility of the trustees to do all that is possible to maintain a safe environment for the students, employees, and the public while on our campus."
Other installments have been put in place to deter outsiders: decorative fencing and gates in parking lots. Other members will be hired at Columbus State to tackle troublesome students who have no regard for public safety.
 
Murder has never been an issue on campus, especially the killing of campus police officers. The majority of crimes that take place on Columbus State Community College grounds is theft.
 
"Its not that anybody felt that things were unsafe at Columbus State, in fact, if you look at the crime statistics this has been the safest place to be downtown, compare it to the crime in other sections of Columbus and downtown Columbus this is a very safe place but focus on tomorrow," Kopp said. "We want to keep everything safe like it has been."
 
Members of the public are able to get accounts of crimes at Columbus State by entering Columbus State’s Public Safety link on the Columbus State homepage, www.cscc.edu. After entering, look to the far right of the page and click on the Clery Uniform Crime Report.
 
Eric Small, a student at Columbus State, had this to say:
 
"I believe that in order for a police officer to do their job they should be able to carry guns. If someone on campus has a gun then it doesn’t really make sense for a cop trying to stop them to not have one."