The public hearing is planned for 1-2 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theatre. Students, faculty or staff who wish to comment at the meeting are asked to email to Karen Desjeans at kdesjeans@hcc.edu in advance. People may also submit statements in writing in advance of the forum.
According to a release from the college, its Board of Trustees is considering arming the college's nine full-time police officers as a way of increasing campus safety and in particular to prepare them to respond to "a shooter in the classroom" scenario.
HCC is patrolled continually by its nine-member police force, all of whom are graduates of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Academy or the Massachusetts State Police Training Academy.
Trustee chairwoman Helen Caulton-Harris has appointed an ad hoc Campus Security Committee to study the proposal and to make a recommendation to the full board.
The emphasis on campus safety is getting a new look in response to what was termed as only "unfortunate current events."
In February, the entire HCC campus was placed on lock down by state and local police after it was reported to police that a 23-year-old Springfield man, Cameron Faniel, threatened to go there "and shoot up the place."
Faniel, of 383 Beacon Circle, denied a charge of bomb / hijack threat with serious public alarm during his arraignment Feb. 27 in District Court. He is awaiting trial.
Following campus shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, a report titled "Campus Violence Prevention and Response: Best Practices for Massachusetts Higher Education" was presented to the state Department of Recommendation. One of the recommendations is that "sworn campus police officers should be armed and trained in the use of personal or specialized firearms."
At least seven state colleges and universities have armed police, including the University in Massachusetts at Amherst. In the last year, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and Framingham State University have opted to arm their campus police.
source-masslive.com