ARMING PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS

 

WHEREAS, Lincoln University desires to provide a more safe and secure environment for its students, faculty, staff, alumni and campus visitors; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln University is deeply concerned about the safety, health and well-being of its own Public Safety officers in investigating firearm reports and incidents; and

WHEREAS, Collected data from the other State-supported and State-related schools show that eleven (11) of the fourteen (14) State-supported and all three (3) other State-related campuses currently have armed officers; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln University officers carried weapons in previous years (1973-1993); and

WHEREAS, Lincoln University administrators and Public Safety personnel have begun to implement the necessary steps for forming a Police Department by having the Chester County Court of Common Pleas commission current Public Safety personnel as police officers with arrest powers; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln University personnel have verified the limited liability insurance increase through its current insurance carrier to arm its Public Safety officers ($200 additional per armed officer) and subject to verification of jurisdictional boundaries and conforming with State statutes; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln University has secured additional operational budget funding for additional Public Safety police officers and training via a Federal Community Oriented Policing (COP) Grant in the amount of $225,000 ($75,000 per year for three years); and

WHEREAS, Lincoln University's Public Safety Department has drafted the necessary policies and procedures and implemented all necessary Pennsylvania State requirements - Act 120 (Municipal Police Officers Training) or Act 235 (Lethal Weapons Training) - including training, certification, psychological testing and racial and cultural diversity awareness before and after arming its officers; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Lincoln University Board of Trustees approves the arming of properly certified, tested and trained Lincoln University Public Safety officers.