State board allows UO to create police force
Saturday, October 8, 2011
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The State Board of Higher Education has voted to allow University of Oregon to convert its public safety officers into full-fledged police.
The Oregonian reports (http://bit.ly/oFWZ1x) the board made the decision Friday after wrestling with questions about guns and police on campus.
Board member Jim Francesconi says the job of a campus safety officer got much harder with a recent state Supreme Court decision ruling universities cannot ban guns from campus.
The new UO police force will be phased in over six years and will have the same authority and any city police force. But the board required the university to come back for approval before allowing its officers to carry guns.
The move was opposed by the Oregon Student Association, which represents all state university students.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
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