In separate discussions, Mayor Frank Picozzi and Warwick Police Chief Co. Bradford Connor said they believe it is time that CCRI campus police be armed.

Also asked if she favored legislation introduced by Rep. William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence) to arm police at CCRI campuses and Rhode Island College, CCRI President Meghan Hughes referred to a statement issued by her office.

In part it reads, “We recognize there are many different models for campus policing in higher education, and we believe the discussion to arm college police is an important conversation to have on our campuses, in our communities, and with our elected officials.  We remain committed to a community policing model, and we recognize that community engagement is essential to a successful community policing model and we are proud of the relationship and trust our Campus Police have built within our college community. “

In a conversation Sunday, Connor pointed out that campus police have completed training at the Rhode Island Police Academy and that, in the case of CCRI, many are retired Warwick police officers.

Asked for his opinion, Picozzi cited mass shootings, saying he thought it made sense provided the officers are properly trained.

The question of arming police at CCRI and RIC surfaced last week when O’Brien reintroduced legislation that failed to gain approval during the last session.

In a press release O’Brien observed that the University of Rhode Island is the only public institution of higher education that has armed its campus police officers.  URI instituted this policy in 2015.  O’Brien also notes that Brown University in Providence, a private institution, has campus police officers that carry firearms.

“This bill is about nothing more than the safety and protection of the students, faculty, and staff at our public colleges.  I know this is a difficult topic for some to discuss, but in a world of active shooters and terrible tragedies determined by seconds and minutes, it is completely irresponsible for us to fail our students and staff by having to rely on off-campus law enforcement if the worst-case scenario should happen on our public campuses.  I’ve been told that the response time to RIC if an active shooting situation where to happen is 5 minutes and frankly, that is way too much time for death and destruction to occur.  Our campuses need a faster response and the only solution is armed campus cops,” O’Brien said.

The legislation calls for the training and arming of public campus police officers and would include campus police officers under the state’s “Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights” before October 1, 2023.

O’Brien believes that RIC is an outlier by being one of the only public colleges in the country without armed campus police.

“Although it is utterly disturbing to acknowledge, active shooter situations are not going away in our society, and most often, targets of these vile crimes are schools.  It is because of this that I believe police officers at both RIC and CCRI should be allowed to carry firearms in order to protect students, faculty, staff and the public,” said O’Brien.

The statement released by President Hughes reads, “Should this legislation pass, thoughtful implementation will be critical. We would begin by engaging in transparent conversations with our students, faculty and staff about what an armed Campus Police will look like, with a particular focus on the experiences and perspectives of our Black community members and members of other minoritized groups.  From an operational perspective, the college anticipates the required training of all officers in the necessary firearms courses could take up to one year to complete because of the number of officers, the level of training they would require, and the need to maintain a basic level of police coverage at all four campuses.”

Hughes went on to say that the college would need to secure the necessary equipment required to arm its police force, and policies for the use, safety, care, storage and type of firearms authorized will have to be written and distributed to ensure compliance with the college’s accreditation status.