The University of Rhode Island. Photo from URI Facebook page.
WPRO Newsroom and the Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Two state lawmakers are reviving efforts to arm police at the University of Rhode Island following an incident in which reports of a gunman sent students running from classrooms.
Representatives Joseph Almeida and Doreen Costa said Friday that they will urge the General Assembly to authorize campus police officers to carry guns. Similar legislative proposals have failed in the past.
Rhode Island is the only state that prohibits public university police from carrying guns.
URI was placed on lockdown Thursday after people in a lecture hall said they heard someone say they had a gun. Police found no gun or shooter.
Almeida, a former police officer, says armed campus police would be better equipped to respond to a real shooting.
URI President David Dooley also supports arming university police.
