Columbia University Considers Granting Campus Police Power To Make Arrests

Columbia University is considering a proposal that would give campus officers the power to make arrests, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The university faced intense pro-Palestinian protests during the spring semester as protesters set up encampments, vandalized property and, at one point, took over a campus building while trapping a worker inside. Columbia President Minouche Shafik has since proposed the idea of “peace officers,” who would be added to the security team and could be given the power to make arrests and physically make contact with students, which current campus officers are unable to do unless in certain circumstances, the WSJ reported.

“We seek to strengthen the department’s skills and training in de-escalation techniques, expanding the department’s ability to manage a range of incidents while taking into account the fact Columbia does not have its own police force, as many peer institutions have, and potentially reducing our reliance on the ,” Columbia University spokesperson Ben Chang said, according to the WSJ.

Manhattan District Attorney General Alvin Bragg dropped