Portland State to Retain Armed Officers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland State University will more than double the number of unarmed campus police officers it employs and improve training on how to control dangerous civilians without firing bullets at them as part of a package of reforms recommended in the year since campus police fatally shot a black man near a downtown bar.

But The Oregonian/OregonLive reports it will continue to deploy armed police officers as part of its campus public safety workforce.

Interim President Stephen Percy introduced the eight-point plan during a standing-room-only meeting of the university’s board of trustees Thursday.

Campus police began carrying firearms in 2015 after a 2014 vote of the board of trustees.