The Board of Trustees of Portland State University may be voting as soon as December to authorize the creation of a PSU Campus Police Department employing sworn police officers in its ranks. This would expand police authority on campus, including its ability to cite for violations, apply for search warrants, and would allow for an armed patrol officer presence. While details about the transition remain unclear, the Board of Trustees came close to voting on the measure before the beginning of Fall term.
Although Portland State will be hosting a public forum in the Smith Ball Room on Oct. 7th, from 09:00am to 10:00am about the possible change, PSUSU is concerned that this may be in the effort to feign compliance with a fully transparent process that should include student feedback before rushing to implement this policy. Please sign this petition and let the Board of Trustees know we are not in favor of a fast track transition to a sworn police force.
To: The Board of Trustees and Administration at Portland State University,
As students at Portland State University we deserve to participate in the decision making process, especially when those decisions involve exposing students to armed security personnel. By signing this petition I am expressing that I do not consent to armed security on campus and I demand that the Administration at PSU take the time to fully engage students with this proposal and recieve their feedback before implementing it as policy.
