Improvement of Campus Safety through Education Officers, Students - Essay Example

Section/# of Arizona Weapons Policy and Recommendations for Improvement of Campus Safety through Education Officers, Students, and Other Key Shareholders It has come to my attention that although the University of Arizona’s Police Manual has a zero tolerance approach to the possession of weapons on campus, there are certain factors that could be added to the policy and to the methods of operation that the Police Department employs to further educate students and faculty regarding the threat that such factors have on the overall safety of university life. A plethora of gun-related incidents in the past several years have all worked to shed a more clear focus on the issue of gun violence on campuses around the United States. As such, in order to proactively meet this challenge, it is the responsibility of the respective police department to not only retain a zero tolerance policy as has been exhibited in the University of Arizona’s police manual/handbook, but also to actively engage key shareholders within the university to work to educate and inform based on the unique threat that such incidents place on everyone involved in the university environment. It is therefore the recommendation of this brief analysis that the University of Arizona’s Police Department should engage in actively raising awareness among both faculty and staff with regards to the threats that exist as well as what efforts can be made on behalf of the community to reduce the threats that exist as a function of weapons safety and violation. It goes without saying that our current era has seen a drastically increased incidence of gun related university incidents. From the horrors of what happened at the Virginia Tech, the University of Alabama professor who shot and killed three of his colleagues during a faculty meeting, the Northern Illinois University incident involving the shooting death of 5 graduate students, and our very own University of Arizona School of Nursing incident in which 3 professors plus the gunman was killed. All of these incidents have taken place within the past 15 years and represent a vast increase in the number and severity of mass murder perpetrated within the university environment. Accordingly, a zero tolerance policy alone is not sufficient to provide deterrence to such acts of horror. Although it is incumbent upon other entities within the university setting to broach this topic with students via orientation programs and introductions to university etc., it is also incumbent upon the University Police Department to become closely involved with the student and faculty in eliciting their support and help with minimizing threats that are faced by all as a result of mass crimes such as the ones that have been previously listed. One important issue with relation to overall campus awareness would be to educate both faculty and students regarding the fact that the weapons policy is not inclusive of only firearms. This is a common misconception among many individuals that unwittingly break the rules. Although the University of Arizona Police Department must treat each violation differently based upon the merits of the case, the fact of the matter is that firearms, fireworks, There are a number of ways in which the University Police Department, with the help of key shareholders within the University system, can work to raise awareness and elicit the support of the student community in working to increase safety and deter crimes such as the ones that have been listed previously. However, engagement of the faculty and staff alone will not be sufficient to protect the University from such random acts of horror. One particular policy implementation that this author would suggest is providing police officers at the University of Arizona with mobile/hand-held metal detecting batons similar to the ones that are already in use at sporting events. Although this would be an added expense on what is an already cash-strapped department, such an equipment acquisition would have an increased effect on the overall level of safety that could be provided. By providing patrol officers with such means of detection, they will easily be able to respond to tangential situations and know without a shadow of doubt what particular type of situation they are dealing with. Oftentimes frisks can miss certain items that a metal detecting wand will not. Perhaps one of the most important things that the University of Arizona can accomplish with respect to ameliorating the overall risk of an active shooter threat is to hold a series of sessions with university staff members which will serve to impart to these staff members the key signs that the active shooters often exhibit prior to perpetrating such an act. Although such training sessions would also require an increased level of overall funding, a simple cost benefit analysis of what is at stake compared to the overall cost and time associated with performing such training sessions clearly shows that the idea is in the best interests of the university community. Furthermore, the department can also engage with a higher number of training programs that will alert the officers of many of the tell-tale signs and risk factors that they should be aware of. One of these training programs that have shown a great deal of promise in other departments is what is known as an “active shooter” training course (The Active Shooter Profile and Implications for Prevention 1). Officers that take such training are taught the key responsibilities and actions that they will need to take in the event of an active shooter on campus. Although many of the training goals that such instruction provides are remedial and largely covered by many of the basic skill sets that university police officers have already learned, expending the extra funding necessary to keep the officer’s skill at a high level will doubtless pay off if the university is ever unfortunate enough to have to deal with such a threat in the future. In short, although the weapons policy is currently adequate with relation to the needs and overall safety of the university, tangential training programs, equipment acquisitions, as well as raising awareness among key shareholders at the university with respect to what key signs to look for and what measures can be taken to maximize their own safety in the event of such an incident are key actions that should be implemented if the University of Arizona Police Department wishes to actively engage with respect to this issue. Work Cited "The Active Shooter Profile And Implications For Prevention. (Cover Story)." Security Directors Report 11.4 (2011): 1-11. Business Source Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. Read More