Isiah Crute

4/25/16

News gathering

Professor. Dillard

“Unarmed Security At Bloomfield College”

Bomb threats, guns and massive attacks are the danger when it comes to College campus. This issue can happen at a big University, or a small college. However, any unfamiliar face can still stroll on to the Bloomfield College grounds at any given time. The students are still pondering the question: what happens if there is an active shooter on campus? What are the procedures and what can the security do without any weapons? Getting the students to be open minded about college safety and the procedures will help the students to escape or closed themselves into a area where their is no danger.

Dr. Leonard Roberts is the Associate Dean in the Institutional Support Service and the Student Affairs Division. He helps coordinate the college emergency drills with Bloomfield Township Police department he believes Bloomfield College does not need armed security. “There are a lot of issues with having armed security officers, we have to be conscious of,” Dr. Roberts expressed. “When an officer has a weapon and has a pistol on their side, there’s a liability to be involved.”

The student affairs division understands what is going on in our society and on campus. They feel that armed security is not needed yet. The Bloomfield College annual security report showns in 2014, their has been twenty two incidents that was liquor Law Violations Disciplinary on campus. There is no Illegal weapons for the previous three years.As Dean Roberts explains, “Based upon our crime statics here at Bloomfield College, I safely say that we do not believe at this time that we required armed security officers.”

The students and faculty have mixed views on armed security on the college grounds. Vince Pinero, who was a former student and is now a faculty member who works as a Proctor and Front desk assistant at Bloomfield College, said, “I would not have mind, if they had a gun on campus,” said Pinero.

Sheila Wooten, who works as an Athletic Director and is also a parent of a student at the college, thinks that the campus is safe, but also had concerns. Ms. Wooten is worried about her daughter who lives on campus, especially when the college is open to the public of the community.

“I do feel comfortable that my daughter is safe on campus, she has been on the campus for four years,” said Ms. Wooten. “I think at times I do worry on the weekends, because Bloomfield College is such an open campus and it’s not isolated and it’s share space with some of the people of the community.”

One of the upper classmen, Aljuhan White, a senior that works at the student center, gave a lot of details on how the security manage the buildings.“I do feel confident that the campus is safe, but the college has a twenty- four hours security,” said Mr. White. “Most buildings you need a key to enter and even along with that the township police department is a block down the street, so I always feel safe,” Mr. White expressed.