Students were alarmed and dismayed to learn about the Department of Public Safety’s intention to arm our campus security officers with Tasers through an article in the Emerald. This information should have reached students through the Public Safety Advisory Group (PSAG), which is an official advisory body of the University.
PSAG is composed of students, faculty and classified staff. There are 12 voting members and 15 non-voting ex-officio members. This committee features a wide array of viewpoints and enables effective community input. According to the bylaws, PSAG is required to meet three times each academic term. Only two people can call the meetings, the chair (a seat which is currently vacant) and the director of public safety. The PSAG has not met in more than a year despite repeated attempts by ASUO officials to convene the body.
In an Emerald article (“New group to channel feedback to aid DPS,” ODE, July 3, 2003) Thomas Hicks, interim director of the Department of Public Safety said that he saw two primary purposes for PSAG: “The first is to give the campus community a voice in public safety issues, and the second is to hopefully improve or enhance communication between Department of Public Safety and the rest of the campus.”
Proposing to arm campus security officers with Tasers without referring the issue to the PSAG demonstrates a DPS failure to communicate with the campus community.
We fully expect that no further action will be taken on this matter until the PSAG is able to convene this fall and discuss this issue.
Jared Axelrod
ASUO President