Adrian Suarez Avila/ Staff Writer
adrian.suarezavila@fiusm.com
For the University Faculty Senate, campus safety is a major concern.
To address the Faculty’s concerns, University Police Chief Alexander Casas delivered a campus safety update to the members during the Nov. 18 meeting.
Osama Mohammed, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, said he rarely sees police officers in the Engineering Center, a concern reiterated by Elisabeth Beristain-Moreiras, a marketing instructor who teaches at the Biscayne Bay Campus.
Casas said that at least two officers are always on duty at BBC. However, he admitted that guards are present at the EC during afternoon and evening shifts, patrolling the parking lots and responding to calls when they are made.
The issue is funding for payroll.
Casas said that if he had more money for officers, he would have three of them in the EC every day. However, in the present situation, the Police Department deploys officers depending on the demands of its available services.
Whitney Bauman, associate professor of religious studies, asked if there was any possibility to make use of body cameras for police officers.
While Chief Casas admitted that he was in favor of acquiring body cameras, given news of decreases in filed complaints and use of force by officers, he acknowledged he would prefer more research and policy examination to be conducted on the cameras’ benefits before purchasing them for his officers.
Casas said he has faith in the safety on campus — so much that he’d move in himself.
“If you saw fit to build me a residence [in the University], not quite as big as the president’s, but where I can bring my [family,] I would live on this campus, happily,” said Casas. “That’s how safe I think this campus is.”
Another main concern: police possession of weapons on campus, along with other military-grade equipment.
As part of his faculty senate report, Chief Casas informed those in attendance about the weapons in their possession, including 50 M16 rifles, a command bus and a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle — equipment obtained from the Law Enforcement Support Office Program following the Department of Defense 1033 program.
Whereas the department previously owned about 12 rifles to be used by a staff of over 60 officers, the recent 50 additions allow the police officers at the University to be better prepared to handle risky situations.
The benefit of having more rifles doesn’t end there, Casas said.
Rifles work safest when they are personalized for the needs of the officer using it, Casas said.
For example, for officers that are right- or left-eye dominant. Having more rifles made it easier for each officer to own a customized weapon they can operate efficiently.
The added rifles in the possession of FIUPD were customized to a semi-automatic setting, which was better suited for the environment at the University, Casas said.
“I’m not here to change your minds. You have opinions on this, and I get that,” said Casas in regards to the concerns of the Faculty Senate of the weapons on campus. “All I want to do is have an opportunity to make you a little more comfortable with why we got this [equipment.]”
But officers can’t simply use the equipment without prior training.
All officers must complete over 40 hours of police training, focusing not just on tactics but also high-stress scenarios and incidents involving individuals with mental issues. A two-day training session must also be completed before officers can use the rifles, all to ensure that they are proficient in handling the weapons correctly.
To be better prepared to handle a situation at the University, the officers train in the dorms as a means of familiarizing themselves with the environment they will have to protect.
Addressing the general concern over the rifles, Chief Casas referenced past shootings in Columbine High School and in the Century movie theater in Aurora, Colo., stating that these incidents are some of the reasons why the University has the M16s.
“It’s my job to prepare for that extraordinary incident that is extraordinarily rare in occurrence and highly [improbable], but extremely catastrophic,” said Casas.