PSU Vanguard
October 29th, 2014
The Associated Students of Portland State University met last Monday for a senate meeting that included a presentation on the possibility of the university transitioning to a sworn and armed police force.
Kevin Reynolds, the newly appointed vice president for Finance and Administration, led the presentation, with substantial comments from Phil Zerzan, chief of Campus Public Safety, and Michelle Toppe, dean of Student Life. Forty-five minutes were reserved for questions and comments from ASPSU and the public.
Reynolds presented the findings of the 2013 Task Force on Campus Safety. He focused on comparing the policing model of PSU to peer institutions.
In regards to the Urban 21, a set of universities similar to PSU set in urban centers, Reynolds said, “PSU is an outlier, it’s the only one that doesn’t have a fully sworn police force.”
Reynolds compared the financial implications of transition to a campus police department to different policing options mentioned in the task force, including contracting with the Portland Police Bureau, contracting with the Oregon State Police or collaboration with OHSU. He said that having a campus police department was most likely the most cost-effective choice.