A commission of officials at the University of Rochester in New York has recommended arming public safety officers at the university medical center.
The officials cited safety concerns when recommending that 38 public safety officers be armed at UR’s Medical Center, reports democratandchronicle.com.
“These officers would be expected to respond to any serious and potentially life-threatening situation as rapidly as possible,” UR President Joel Seligman wrote in an email to students, faculty and staff expressing support for the recommendation.
RELATED: 5 Steps Schools Must Get Right When Arming Campus Police
Seligman, who will make a final decision on the report after considering input from the university community, also wrote that the local police departments’ response time to emergencies on the UR campus might be delayed despite their close relationship with the school.
The medical center has a far higher rate of violence and weapons confiscation than the rest of the UR campus. The armed officers would be present in the medical center’s emergency department 24/7 and include a mobile unit to patrol the exterior of the center.
Officers would not be armed until they received de-escalation and diversity bias training.
The University of Rochester Public Safety Department is made up of 180 full-time staff members, some of which are trained peace officers with arrest powers.
Read Next: Dallas College Police Chief Outlines Path of Killer
