RIT says that some of its public safety officers will soon have access to guns as part of an effort to provide more protection in case of an active violent threat.
RIT President Bill Destler says that violence on college campuses has tragically become all too frequent in recent years, noting that there have been 23 shootings on college campuses this year leading to what Destler says are too many violent and senseless deaths.
The university will have specially trained RIT officers who will be on patrol around the clock throughout the year, and officials say those officers will have access to guns. But they say the firearms will not be visible to the public during daily routine patrols.
The objective of this program is to be able to contain an active violence threat until local police can arrive.
RIT says the decision to have these specially trained officers came after thorough research of the benefits and the risks. The university points to FBI data on campus violence around the country which says that once an active shooter is confronted by an armed response, no other innocent people were killed.
The enhanced security will begin next year and RIT will also hiring a new Assistant Director of Public Safety who will oversee the new program.
