To the Editor:
I read with incredulity your recent article, “Why Colleges Didn’t Rein In Their Police” (The Chronicle, May 23), notably the fact that some universities’ police departments are unarmed. Capitulating to protests against arming police officers who patrol within a well-armed population adds to the public’s perception that academia is a bastion of ivory-tower-dwelling optimists. It is ludicrous to ask police officers to ensure their campus’s safety while removing a method of achieving that goal.
Higher education aims to create a better, more enlightened society. While a worthy goal, it doesn’t mitigate the current American reality in which gun sales are increasing, mass shootings are on the rise, and those who would cause harm have easy access to most campuses. In the event of an active shooter, a well-trained university-based police department offers the best chance of safety. They can respond more rapidly than peripheral police departments, know the layouts of campus buildings, and have ready access to those buildings.
Proactive moves to bolster the safety efforts of higher education institutions are not “a lack of political commitment to … racial-justice priorities.” They are instead a recognition that education can only flourish when universities provide a relatively safe environment and the best means to do that is to staff their police departments with well-trained officers. I’m curious what activists would suggest as an alternative to armed police officers in the event of a shooting. Engaging in dialogues about creating a more just and peaceful society isn’t a proven safety method against individuals who seek to cause immediate violent harm. Instead of disparaging police departments, we should applaud them for their staff’s willingness to risk their lives to ensure campus safety.
Your article has prompted me to add a new criterion to my checklist for considering my children’s future college choices: a well-trained, armed police department as a means of enhancing their safety on campus. I won’t support their attendance at a college or university that doesn’t provide this and have encouraged my friends to look for this as well.
Amey Park
Associate Professor, Database Maintenance Librarian
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio