Officers at Arizona's Mesa Community College are now armed on duty.
The seven sworn officers on the force received firearms training this summer. The officers will carry .45-caliber Glocks issued by the Maricopa County Community College District.
Steve Corich, director of campus security, said the training and duty weapons will allow the officers to respond immediately to a major incident without having to wait for the Mesa police.
"In one of those unforeseen active-shooter situations where seconds count, the police are minutes away," Corich told the Arizona Republic. "We have to handle as we can until the police arrive."
A new Arizona law requires all sworn officers to be armed on duty. This meant that the Maricopa County Community College District was required by law to arm its officers. As recently as 2002, the district's governing board voted against allowing officers to carry on duty.
Mesa Community College is also adding better locks to its classroom doors. The door can be locked from inside and adjunct professors are now locking their classrooms at night.
