EUGENE, Ore. – The head of campus security at the University of Oregon (UO) wants to equip his unarmed officers with Taser guns.
Chief Kevin Williams of the Department of Public Safety said his officers face burglars, car thieves, drug dealers and armed felons during the course of their work. When a crisis occurs, they must wait for back-up from Eugene police officers. The officers are only armed with pepper spray and collapsible batons.
Student leaders, on the other hand, oppose the use of Tasers with some saying the stun guns could be lethal. Others questioned if the device would be used to break up unruly parties or used at protests and demonstrations.
Currently, the only Tasers allowed on the campus are those carried by students and by the Eugene police officers hired to work at the school.
Williams plans to present the proposal to school administrators within six to eight months. He will also write a policy for use of stun guns, similar to the one created by the Eugene police.
He added that he wants his officers to have the equipment they need to protect themselves and the UO community, not as a weapon against students.
