One was a young policewoman, unarmed on the outskirts of Paris and felled by an assault rifle. Her partner, also without weapons, could do nothing to stop the gunman. Another was a first responder with a side arm, rushing to the Charlie Hebdo offices where a pair of masked men with high-powered weapons had opened fire on an editorial meeting. Among their primary targets: the armed police bodyguard inside the room.
With the deaths of the three French officers during three days of terror in the Paris region and the suggestion of a plot in Belgium to kill police, European law enforcement agencies are rethinking how – and how many – police should be armed.
Scotland Yard said Sunday it was increasing the deployment of officers allowed to carry firearms in Britain, where many cling to the image of the unarmed “bobby.” In Belgium, where officials say a terror network was plotting to attack police, officers are again permitted to take their service weapons home.
Shame the average person can’t do the same. Also a fun fact to throw into the face of smug Euros who say “Our Police don’t even NEEEEED guns!!” Yeah, they do!
Nearly all campus police officers at public universities now carry guns, pepper spray and other weapons, according to a new Justice Department report, and experts say more private schools are looking to arm police.
Overall, about two-thirds of public and private campuses used armed officers during the 2011-12 school year, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of 900 four-year colleges with at least 2,500 students. Officers at public universities were more than twice as likely as those at private schools to carry guns.
Despite the increase, schools aren’t required to report weapon use to federal authorities.
Experts said campus administrators are increasingly pressed for assurances that officers are well-equipped and well-trained following high-profile crimes like the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings and the Penn State child sex abuse case.
“Compared to 10 years ago, we’ve made drastic improvements to become more professional, more accountable and more responsive to the expectation of our campus community,” said Florida State University Police Chief David Perry, who serves as president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.
“Parents are asking up front … do you have weapons, can you respond to an active shooter if there was a situation on your campus?” he said.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics last surveyed campus law enforcement agencies in 2004-05. On the more than 700 campuses questioned for both reports, the percentage of agencies arming their officers rose from 68 percent to 75 percent. About 32,000 people were working full-time for campus law enforcement at four-year institutions in 2011-12, the most recent statistics available.
Of course the campii with ZERO active shooter problems are ones that don’t expel students for carrying guns that would otherwise be legal across the street from the School.
More guns, Less Crime!
