Guns sought by campus officers at LCC
EUGENE, Ore --- Public safety officers at Lane Community College want to carry guns in order to increase safety on campus.
Officers are concerned about how long it would takes law enforcement to arrive on campus if something happened, said Dennis Carr, human resource director.
"Our backup, should there be a criminal incident or dangerous incident on campus, is Lane County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon State Police," Carr said. "There may be some concerns with response time and staffing."
'But I don't know any specific incident where having our PSO's armed would make a difference or improve the outcome in terms of public safety and securtity on Lane's campus," Carr said.
James Ready found out about the issue from the school paper. He said this issue needs to be known beyond campus grounds.
Ready says he was a student at Springfield's Thurston High School in 1998 when a student walked on campus and opened fire.
"I just hope that they seriously weigh all the pros and cons of this because it's not simple. Anytime you add a gun into the mixture theres no right or wrong answer." said Ready.
Kayla Godowa has been a student at LCC for two years. She said she hasn't experienced any serious altercations that would require officers to have a gun. She said she feels safe on the campus.
"I don't know if things are really that extreme around here because a firearm could potentially take someones' life or put someone in the hospital," said Godowa.
Godowa said Public Safety Officers should consider alternatives like tazers, batons and pepper spray over guns. Even though batons and pepper spray are currently in use by the officers, Carr said the Board of Education will review it's firearm policy before the officer's request can be granted.
"They've gathered legal counsel and input concerning the firearms policy. And I anticipate the president will bring it up for review in the late winter or early spring," said Carr.
But until a change to the school's firearm policy is recieved from the Board, Carr said officers will have to follow the current protocol in place for safety.
