Author: Stephanie Tshappat

Recent discussions surrounding proposed changes to the Campus Public Safety Office have brought to light differences between the laws that govern CPSO and the laws that govern the Portland Police Bureau—many of which limit CPSO’s capabilities.

Are there more than just two possibilities—armed or unarmed—for the future of Portland State’s Campus Public Safety Office? Around 100 Portland State students, faculty and community members attended a panel discussion Tuesday to explore other possibilities in the campus security discussion.

Campus Public Safety Office Dispatcher Bonnie Jensen comes from a law enforcement family: Her father was a police officer and detective with the Ashland, Ore., Police Department and her uncle worked at the FBI office in Portland.

Portland State’s Campus Public Safety Office has created a new detective position within the agency and filled it with retired Portland Police Bureau Detective Matt Horton.

Last month’s tragic shootings at Clackamas Town Center and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. bring even more attention to an ongoing issue at Portland State: the possibility that PSU’s Campus Public Safety Office may soon become a sworn law enforcement agency with armed police officers.

What would campus look like if Portland State’s Campus Public Safety Office became a sworn law enforcement agency?

And how would these changes be paid for?

Portland State Campus Public Safety Office Patrol Sgt. Joe Schilling was a young man looking for a rewarding career that would provide for his family when he went into the field of law enforcement with the Portland Police Bureau.