CLC board will vote in May on arming campus safety department

College of Lake County security guards could be carrying guns by Oct. 1, if the school moves forward with a plan to convert its safety department to a police department.

The CLC board of trustees discussed the change Tuesday, but it will not vote on the measure until the May 27 meeting.

"Throughout the country we have seen that no place is immune from criminal activity," said Kevin Lowry, director of campus security. "The college already has law-enforcement officers. This is just a step to get them armed so they can protect our community."

CLC's 14 officers now carry pepper spray and batons.

Lowry estimated it would cost an additional $200 per person per year for liability insurance for an armed officer and $18,000 for psychological testing, firearms purchase and training, and new badges.

Any changes made by CLC, however, could become moot if proposed state legislation passes.

A bill making it unlawful for a governing body that employs "peace officers" to prohibit them from carrying a firearm has won committee approval and is pending in the House.

A growing number of suburban community colleges arm officers, including the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Elgin Community College and Harper College in Palatine.

The question whether to arm campus officers has been an issue at CLC for nearly 10 years.

Criminal-justice professor Tom Arnold originally proposed the change in 1999, but it was quashed by former CLC president Gretchen Naff, who retired in 2005.

"This is long overdue," Arnold said, "especially in light of recent events."

CLC revisited the proposal last year and it was green-lighted by the school's Governance Coordinating Council.

The council is made up of classified staff, specialists, faculty and students. Only the students voted against arming officers, but they have since changed their minds. During a special Student Government Association meeting held last month, students voted in favor of arming officers.

CLC has a mutual aid agreement with the police departments where their campuses are located. Lowry said those agreements would continue, but the departments would be called only if CLC officers found themselves in a situation they could not handle or needed assistance with an investigation.

Lowry said once officers passed a psychological test, they would be given live firearms training once a year and training in the firearms simulator once a year.

Trustee Barbara Oilschlager said she would like to see more training and suggested the college follow what the Lake County sheriff's office does.

"I believe they have six days of training per year," Oilschlager said. "If we're going to err, let's err on the side of more training."

Safety: Students voted 'no' initially to arming officers