'We can provide full service as a police department if we are armed'
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EUGENE, Ore. - Agreement and curiosity was present between two University of Oregon Police Department officers and the attendants in a “Coffee with the Chief” forum held last month at the EMU Building.
The forum was held to discuss the possibility of arming the campus police.
Facilitating the meeting was UOPD Interim Police Chief and Executive Director, Carolyn McDermed. Joining her was UOPD Captain Pete Deshpande.
Topics discussed included the importance of arming the UOPD, how the officers are trained, their plan for maximizing the use of police officers on campus and the frequency of bicycle patrols compared to squad car patrols.
“I believe we can provide full service as a police department if we are armed. If we are not armed, we are going to be limited in the services that we can provide,” Chief McDermed said. “They’ll be able to provide full services to this campus and deal effectively with issues that are important to people about campus safety here; prioritize to meet the needs of the campus.”
No arguments were heard from the attendants in the forum about arming the UOPD.
“It’s the easiest decision you are going to have to make. You just can’t expect somebody to do this without giving them the tools that they need to do it," said attendant Roger Stephen, a retired Eugene citizen. “I’ve done an informal survey with people that I run into that I know in town and there hasn’t been a single person that hasn’t thought that they should move forward with the arming. It’s a very dangerous job and there’s lot of things they can’t do until they get to that point.”
Other attendants offered a different perspective.
“The drawbacks to the plan are that we are going to have a police force on campus; it’s not necessarily going to make the campus safer than a department of safety would,” said attendant Nick Ekblad, a Spanish major at the University of Oregon. “Their scope has been widened whereas they are not focusing so much as what is happening on campus right now, which is the type of safety patrol that we need.”
According to McDermed, the University of Oregon is the only one in the Pac-12 that does not have an armed department.
As a resident that lives in the U of O neighborhood I have observed  Chief Carolyn McDermed make  numerous right hand turns without signaling as she cruizes around in her Suburban.  They ignore state law and won't ticket  people for illegally crossing Franklin Blvd. (Hiway 99) at other than approved crosswalks to attend Games at Matt Court or Autzen. And the U of O even posted signs in the median encouraging people to cross where it is illegal .
All the U of O police do is create more income for the U of O and place their paycheck on the local citizens the harrass. Have they stopped any real crimes ? No they'd rather bust up parties. We need real police not more jack booted thugs.
look at those itchy trigger fingers. They're chomping at the bit to KILL with extreme prejudice.Â
Sure, I'd rather trained lawmen/women protect the masses than my neighbor. That's their job, that's why we pay taxes. But no assault rifles that are designed to kill as many people as possible. Leave that job for the army.
@J. BurtonÂ
That is, unless, the criminals are using Uzis, assault rifles, other automatics.
Like sending cops into a firefight with slingshots in comparison.
Look...you and the others against this are going to have to learn that you cannot afford to not accept the situation as it stands in this present day and time. The good ol days are...over.
The enemy is among us, armed to the teeth.......and you know it.Â
Nope, that dog won't hunt either, J Burton..
Try again...
@VetzeroBeat cops shouldn't rush into a scene from Miami Vice. Â That's what SWAT is for.
@J. Burton
...and what does SWAT have as standard equipment ?
Just what is SWAT's mission ?
You have any idea ?
Go spend some time at EPD's citizen academy. You might get some new perspective.
--
Nope....try again.
The sooner the better.
The situation in Eugene has changed along with the demographics. We got us a full blown crime wave going in case the rest of you haven't noticed.
Punks, criminals, addicts and other assorted scum have all made a beeline for Lane County and we all ought to know by now as to why. 'They' (the enemy)Â are among us and looking for any opportunity they can find.
Yes indeed, arm them. Give then increased powers of arrest while your at it.....and while your at it you might want to get the U of O to help the county open up a few more jail beds for our 'guests' who will be staying with us for awhile.
Arm them. Â And arm the pizza delivery guys too. Â If the need arises, call them both. Â My money is on the pizza guy arriving first.
Nick Ekblad said âTheir scope has been widened whereas they are not focusing so much as what is happening on campus right now,"
Now what? Â You, as a 20 year old know it all, can't make a statement like that, blah, blah, blah... and not say exactly what then, are they focusing on now that they have a gun. Â Is it, how to put a bullet in it? Do they now run around waving it around at everyone? are they focusing on who to shoot next? Are they focusing on how to be a well armed SWAT team, busting down doors of everyone they feel like, because they have a gun now? Â
I guess I don't understand such an ignorant statement.... but what should we expect from a 20 year old, who in a couple years, will be no where to be found on the University campus.Â
Power won't make it any safer huh... interesting ... Nick wants "safety patrol" but with a harmless / no authority / Â no power police dept with no guns.. Â and when confronted with an armed individual, we'll text Nick to get right over there with his superman costume and "nab the bad guys" kapow, bam, shaboom.
Okay nick, go back to your bong loads.Â
@Jason Marks Excellent reply, Jason.
I'm impressed.
Couldn't have said it or wrote it better myself....and I have a college education, English, writing emphasis, etc.
As a faculty member, I am all for arming our cops. If we are assaulted by some psychopath, we will need cops to come protect us.
"If we are not armed, we are going to be limited in the services that we can provide,âÂ
translation: "We can't kill, so we ain't cops."
Do you expect unarmed police to respond to fights, domestic violence situations, armed subjects, etc? It would be stupid for them to respond to any type risk call if they aren't armed. I can tell by your screen name that you could care less about officer safety, but I'm sure these men and woman would like to go home to their families every night same as you do.
"'I believe we can provide full service as a police department if we are armed. If we are not armed, we are going to be limited in the services that we can provide,' Chief McDermed said." It seems to me that the only service arming any police department will add, including the UOPD, is the ability to shoot someone. How often does the need arise for a UOPD officer to shoot someone? Are they going to shoot frat house partiers that get too loud and break some bottles, or maybe student fans angry about a duck loss and taking out their ire on UO property? Out of control parties and mindless vandalism are definitely problems, but will arming the UOPD change the way those problems are handled? No good will come from arming police officers that lack the proper training and psychological suitability to wield deadly force. If the UOPD is armed there will eventually be a tragedy; someone will die. UOPD officers should be limited to using nonlethal weapons such as pepper spray and batons. When deadly force is needed on campus, the Eugene and Springfield police are only a telephone call away.
@mackenzie0158Â
Wrong again.....nope. Life and the present day reality we live in won't work that way anymore, young one. When crime hits, and it does much more often now. (go look at the stats) ...then, by the time EPD or SPD respond to your call to come to the campus ?......game over. The criminal, long gone like a f_rt in a whirlwind. And you or somebody standing there crying for a cop along with the UOPD standing there with you taking your report. That what you want ?.........I think not. The campus is State property and must be protected almost as much as you are. Can't do that just carrying a stick and mace, not anymore. You and the other 'young ones' there on campus learning your ABCs and 123s will be gone after 4 or 5 years residency here. You leave the area and we are still stuck with the job of protecting your underclassmen back here in Eugene, now the crime capital of west central Oregon complete with almost no jail of consequence.....you 'get it'...'comprehende' ?
@Vetzero:
Currently, there are approximately 73 federal agencies with full-time law enforcement employees who are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests in the US. Add to that all of the law enforcement agencies operating at the state, county, and local levels and you have hundreds of thousands of US law enforcement employees that have the authority to arrest and hold, and if they decide it is necessary, shoot to kill individuals in the US. Do we really need another group of gun self-righteous, gun toting people breathing down out necks?
@mackenzie0158Â
Mac leads the fearless way into harms danger and is willing to lose "it's" life going into a unknown situation where anything can happen. Â All for a salary... don't be stupid.Â
What then? "stop in the name of love"? Â Your hippy granola roots are showing. !
@Jason Marks: I would like to respond to your post Jason, but I don't understand what you are saying. I'm not a grammar Nazi or anything like that, but you need to have at least grade school level writing skills to participate in this forum. In your first sentence, are you trying to use the phrase, "in harm's way?" I can't tell for sure. To what exactly does '"it's" life' refer? Are you speculating on unknown actions UOPD officers may face in the future? Again, I can't tell for sure. To what does "stop in the name of love" refer? I seem to recall that line from a mid-sixties Supremes' recording. BTW, I am too young to have participated in the so-called hippy movement. Thank Jason. Looking forward to your reply.
Without a weapon they are uniformed Hall Montors.