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 [New York Police Department],” Columbia University spokesperson Ben Chang said, according to the WSJ.
Manhattan District Attorney General Alvin Bragg dropped the charges for 31 of 46 people charged with trespassing in connection to the Columbia protests, claiming lack of evidence, while 14 others could have their cases dismissed if they avoid arrest for six months.
The proposal is currently pending while the administrators discuss with faculty, the WSJ reported.
The university has just under 300 officers on its security team, the WSJ reported. Under the current rule, officers are not allowed to touch or detain students, and administrators are, instead, required to contact university leadership before calling city law enforcement.
“There’s no middle ground, it’s either do nothing and let the protesters do whatever they want, or call the NYPD,” Professor James Applegate, a member of the executive committee of the university senate, told the WSJ.
Columbia University did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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