The Oregon State University Board of Trustees voted Friday to create a campus police force.
The new officers would replace Oregon State Police troopers. The school’s contract with the state police ends in June. The decision comes after months of campus discussions following the controversial arrest last fall of an OSU student of color.
Oregon State President Ed Ray said the new arrangement would provide more accountability.
“As long as it’s not our police force, they don’t report to us," said Ray. "And so when we see a problem, we have very little ability to get people to function the way we expect them to function as part of our community.”
The OSU police force would be armed, just like the state troopers that now patrol the campus. The trustees were in favor of the plan, but some expressed doubt that an entire force could be hired and trained by the beginning of July.
