5 Steps Schools Must Get Right When Arming Campus Police

More and more campuses are realizing the need to have armed public safety professionals on campus.

As school districts and universities continue taking steps to protect against active shooter incidents, the idea of arming campus police has increasingly been considered.

Responding to their institution’s unique circumstances, some school officials have concluded that armed officers are the best way to ensure a quick response to life threatening situations.

RELATED: 5 Considerations When Developing an Officer Firearms Program

Campus Safety has previously reported on schools and universities that have reached this conclusion, but administrators may not realize how controversial of a decision it can be.

Arming public safety officers or school resource officers is a delicate process, and if it’s not done properly, it can diminish your school’s reputation rather than enhance it.

RELATED: 5 More Considerations When Developing an Officer Firearms Program

With that in mind, we thought we’d give a brief breakdown of the crucial steps in the path toward arming officers.

Have any suggestions or comments on things we missed? Let us know! We’re striving to cover all the bases here.

Now check out the slideshow!

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About the Author

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Zach Winn is a journalist living in the Boston area. He was previously a reporter for Wicked Local and graduated from Keene State College in 2014, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and minoring in political science.

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