CLC cops could get guns by Nov. 1

College of Lake County police officers could start carrying firearms by Nov. 1, a month later than initially scheduled, officials said Tuesday.

The move is part of the CLC public safety department's conversion into a police department. The CLC board unanimously approved the change in May after nearly a decade of debate.

Officers initially were set to carry sidearms by today, but the CLC board hasn't yet received or reviewed the department's firearms procedures, said Kevin Lowry, director of the campus police department. Lowry hopes the board will have those plans within the next few weeks, in time for its Oct. 21 meeting.

Meanwhile, seven of CLC's officers continued firearms training Tuesday at the Gurnee police station.

All 12 of the current officers will carry .40-caliber semi-automatic handguns. The individual officers got to choose the manufacturer and model of their guns.

The officers received live training in a shooting range and practiced in a simulator. They also took a four-hour course in cultural diversity, Lowry said.

They learned firearm safety, defensive tactics that will help them hold onto their guns if attacked and how to clean and maintain their weapons.

"The cleaner you keep your gun, the more service you do on it, the more reliable it's going to be when you need it," Gurnee police officer and firearms instructor Martin DePerte told the group.

The officers paid close attention as he disassembled each of their handguns and talked about the individual components.

Proper safety was a big part of DePerte's lesson plan.

"Every time you pull that trigger and the gun goes boom, you have to account for that projectile," he said.

Although this is the first time CLC police will carry handguns, all 12 CLC officers have professional firearms experience, Lowry said. They've graduated from police academy programs and have served as full-time or part-time officers at other police departments.

Some have military experience, Lowry said.

Other suburban community colleges with armed police officers include Harper College in Palatine and Elgin Community College.