There is current speculation as to whether the Framingham State University Police Department should be permitted to carry weapons while on duty. Most Massachusetts state colleges and universities have an armed police force. Yet, Framingham's police are more security guards than they are law enforcement due to this ridiculous rule.
Let's talk about this, shall we? Let's discuss why police officers should carry weapons. I never thought I would be writing about something that seems so obvious, or defending why those who should always be armed should be permitted to carry guns. But unfortunately, our society isn't perfect and sometimes you have to break things down - as if you were speaking to a small child - so let's break it down!
We want police officers to be safe, correct? They put their lives on the line in order to protect the law. Yes, their job is technically to protect the law, which in turn protects the people - but that's beside the point. We want our police officers to feel safe while they are on duty, so their focus can be primarily on us rather than on their lack of adequate protection and thinking of ways to properly protect themselves if they are ever in a compromised position.
As a college campus, we need to be aware that we are a target. Think of Virginia Tech and Columbine. We will most likely never experience something like this, but by not being prepared for it by allowing our police force to carry weapons, we are playing with fire. And it's getting dangerously hot.
Police officers carry weapons for a reason - because their job entails that they enter and be prepared for unsafe situations. Let me ask you one last question: would you want someone protecting you to be safe themselves? Sure, they're trained in physical restrains and carry pepper spray - but that isn't always enough. If someone were to come on campus with firearms and start shooting, they would have a significant "leg-up" on our police force because they simply aren't prepared to deal with that type of situation.
We can fix this. In fact, it's an easy fix. Allow our police offers to carry guns. As I said previously, they're nothing more than glorified security guards right now. This is a shame because they're all graduates of the Massachusetts State Police Academy. They have the same credentials as any other weapon-carrying police officer. Yet, for some reason our police officers don't have guns. Where is the logic in that?
There's a Campus Forum on Wednesday April 18th at 1:30pm. Attend the forum. Voice your opinion and see if it's enough to let our cops have the protection they deserve.
Armed campus police officers will have a subtle yet chilling psychological effect on college (or university) life. To steal an example from another blog post, is a student more or less likely to ask for help when they get in trouble using alcohol?
ReplyDeleteEvents like Columbine or Virginia Tech are "black swans"; they get so much publicity precisely because they are once-in-a-lifetime events. But humans are hard-wired to blow those risks all out of proportion. What's more statistically probable -- a crazed gunman running amok, or an unfortunate escalation when an campus police officer wearing a sidearm attempts to break up an illegal drinking party involving underage students?
If you really want to be safe from a crazed gunman, take a class, get a permit and start carrying. "An armed society is a polite society."
Ok, Autumn: I will neither agree nor disagree with your argument, but I will give you a tip for writing a persuasive argument: do not talk down to your audience. Your first paragraph is overtly condescending - especially when you refer to your reader as "a small child." After that, I as a reader had no respect for your argument and, frankly, didn't care what you had to say because you showed no respect for the reader. If you want to argue well, argue like an adult.
ReplyDeleteI agree Notelrac, those two incidents were very publicized, which I am not dis agreeing with but how often do you hear of these events taking place. I do not think that the campus police should be armed. If anything serious were to happen on this (or any other campus)other police officials would be here within minuets to help stop and maintain the situation. Here in Framingham for example, the Framingham Police stations is seconds down the street, as well as state police. I feel safe here with campus police the way they are and feel no need for a change.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure that the Campus Police have graduated the Mass. State Police Academy? I would like some verification on that one because.... They would be working as Mass. State Police, not as you so eloquently put it "glorified security guards." Also on a campus that has a very small number of students in a town with a very large and well armed police force there is no need to take money from the school budget so that the campus police can write parking tickets with a gun on their hip. I really don't see any reason why they would need guns. I'm indifferent to the issue to be honest. In my time here I have seen the police on campus sit in their car on the hill outside McCarthy Hall... And write tickets and I am VERY curious if they went to the Mass State Police Academy, I would be SHOCKED if that were true.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened at the Campus Forum?
ReplyDelete