Princeton University to Allow Campus Police Access to Guns in Emergency Situations

Princeton University is reversing a long standing policy of not arming sworn officers on the University’s campus, Planet Princeton reports.

Officers will soon gain access to rifles in the event of emergencies on campus, including the threat of active shooters, according to the report.

There are nearly 100 members and more than 20 sworn officers who underwent 26 weeks of New Jersey Police Academy training, according to the report.

University police were qualified to carry the weapons during a summer training session at the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office’s gun range, according to the Princeton Packet. Like all police and sworn law enforcement in New Jersey, they will have to complete that qualification twice annually.

The guns will be kept in their cars, according to the report.

Princeton is the seventh of the eight Ivy League schools to allow officers access to guns in emergency situations. Rutgers University and The College of New Jersey also allow access to guns in emergency situations, while Rider University doesn’t. Columbia University is the only Ivy League school that doesn’t allow access to guns in emergency situations.