Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 39, Issue 8


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Volume 39, Issue 8
January 15, 2002

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Weapons for campus officers being considered
By Marci Kramer
For the Mesa Legend

The controversial issue of whether to arm certified peace officers on the 10 Maricopa County College District campuses remains a hot topic of discussion for the MCCD governing board.

Chancellor Fred Gaskin, who earned a doctorate in education, appointed an ad hoc safety committee to review this matter, gather information, and present its findings to the board, said William H. Crawford III, director of administration of justice studies program.

Proponents of arming college safety officers are considering only those individuals certified by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board who wear the tan uniform, but not the college security officers who wear the red shirts, nor the student officers who wear the white shirts.

Currently, MCC employs three certified peace officers; Capt. Lynn Bray on first shift; Capt. Dennis Coking on second shift; and Capt. Don Ryan on third shift.

The idea to arm college safety officers is not unprecedented.

"MCC is not at the forefront of this issue," Crawford said. "This is not new ground."

Certified peace officers employed by Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona, as well as Yavapai Community College and the Pima County College District are required to wear firearms.

The MCCD is "obligated to provide the safety officers with the tools needed to perform their jobs effectively," Crawford said.

The type of weapon under consideration is something "sufficient to get the job done if they need to use it," said Vince Moran, college safety chief.

Moran, who has been at MCC for 23 years, said a semi-automatic handgun, like a Glock-40 or Glock-19, would be adequate.

Both of the handguns take a clip that contains 10 rounds; officers would carry two additional clips that contain 10 rounds each for a total of 30 rounds.

The effort to arm the officers is not in response to any crime wave or event, Crawford said.

The idea is to take a "proactive approach, to be able to address a situation before a problem exists, to keep a crime from happening," Crawford continued.

Crawford maintains that arming the safety officers has a deterrent effect against criminal behavior and acts on campus while acknowledging that measuring the deterrent effect is difficult.

When asked about the use of stun guns or other deterrent tools, Crawford said those options are ineffective against lethal force.

At this point, Ron Etter, dean of administration, is undecided on the issue of arming certified peace officers at MCC.

"I can live with either one," Etter said. "I’m concerned about putting staff in jeopardy. On the other hand, the worst thing is a firefight on campus."