University Campus Police Want Pepper Spray

After five years of discussions on the topic, campus police officers at the University of Windsor are more than ready to carry pepper spray while on duty.

Frustrated by the lack of action on the subject, pepper spray became a part of the last round of contract negotiation between the university and the union that represents the campus police officers. The union represents the 22 officers currently employed. The university hired an independent consultant as a result of these negotiations. The consultant recommended pepper spray as “a use-of-force option.”

The policy still needs to be approved by local area police, however, and that approval appears to be stalled. A request was sent to the Windsor Police Service Board in June and there has been no action on the request in the intervening months.

University of Windsor campus police feel that every day they are further delayed is another day of being subjected to increased risk. “It’s a safety concern for us,” says one campus police officer.

The campus police officers cite other campus police security forces that authorize the use of pepper spray for their officers: the University of Western Ontario, McMaster, Waterloo, and Guelph.

Currently the campus police officers at the University of Windsor carry handcuffs, batons and bulletproof vests. They are at a disadvantage when unruly visitors get out of control because the only tool they have to subdue such a person is brute force.

“This university is not a gated community,” one campus police officer said. “From time to time, undesirables come onto our campus…violent individuals.”

Hopefully they will not have to wait too much longer to carry pepper spray.