URI Campus Police will be Armed

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
URI campus police to be armed beginning May 8

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — After two years of discussion, planning and preparation, the University of Rhode Island will transition to an armed police force on May 8.

“We have moved carefully and systematically to ensure that all appropriate safeguards, procedures, training and policies are in place,” said URI President David M. Dooley. “We recognize the solemn responsibility we carry in this transition, particularly in light of the recent officer-involved shootings and use-of-excess-force reports across the country.

“When I was notified that our timeline would need to be adjusted from January to April for implementation, I directed the university officials responsible for executing the plan to proceed cautiously and thoroughly, and not let a self-imposed deadline dictate when we were ready,” Dooley said.

Thursday, vice president Christina L. Valentino and director of public safety Stephen Baker certified to the president that all steps have been taken and all requirements have been met for qualified police officers to carry firearms. They identified May 8 as the specific date of implementation.

Newly appointed university police Maj. Michael A. Jagoda, a 22-year law-enforcement veteran and former commanding officer of Troop G Barracks in Bridgeport, Conn., will lead the URI police force and assist in the transition. Jagoda brings a strong focus on community-based policing, said the university. He managed 102 sworn law enforcement and civilian personnel and oversaw police services for 21 towns.

“I want to emphasize that for the University of Rhode Island, arming police officers is part of a broader strategy toward greater campus safety, one that will allow our officers to be prepared as first-responders to protect us and themselves against any potential violent threat,” Dooley said. “At the same time, we continue the many ongoing efforts to improve the security of our campuses, and numerous measures have already been implemented.”

The university has enhanced its emergency alert system, upgraded its blue light emergency phones and members of the Office of Emergency Management/Department of Public Safety have conducted training in emergency protective actions for hundreds of members of the university community.

“University officials in the Division of Administration and Finance, the Department of Public Safety, Human Resource Administration, and the members of the URI Police Arming Oversight Committee, who have dedicated themselves to assessing the critical policies that will govern the actions of our police officers, have worked diligently to ensure institutional readiness for arming police,” Dooley said.

University officials said they developed a plan last May that reflected community input, best practices and state standards in law enforcement to ensure that all appropriate steps were taken for the URI police force to be authorized to carry firearms. The university said its community has been updated on a monthly basis on the implementation process and progress.