Çnrtlanh (Dbseruer
December 17, 2014
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Fred Meyer
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O livia O livia /T he P ortland O bserver
Student and community activists protest the arming o f Portland State University campus security
during a November board meeting.
Vote for Armed Police
PSU approves
plan pending
guidelines
11 to 2 to approve the proposal.
However, it will be another six
months and another board vote
before officers on campus start car
rying guns. The time will be used by
a committee made up of administra
by O livia O livia
tion, staff and students to set guide
T he P ortland O bserver
lines for the police department to
Despite strong objections from reflect the values of the campus
civil rights advocates and many stu community.
dents and faculty, Portland State
A PSU task force earlier con
University moved forward Thurs cluded that PSU needs fully-sworn
day with a plan to create an armed police officers, citing its growth to
campus police force.
29,000 students; its permeable bor
The PSU Board of Trustees voted der with the city; and the time it
takes the Portland Police Bureau to
respond to dangerous incidents on
campus.
The PSU Black Student Union
joined Students United for Nonvio
lence and the PSU Student Union to
oppose the action. Anti-rape activ
ists on campus were also against
the plan, including Melinda Joy,
who said victims will be less likely to
report their sexual assault to armed
officers.
PSU D ean o f S tu d en t Life
continued
on page 13
ENIEOTAINMENI
Officer Named Assistant Chief
pages 8-12
C alendar
pages 13
C lassifieds
pages 15
F o o d
pages 16
Come January, Portland will have a new police chief,
and soon alongside him, a new assistant chief.
Larry O ’ Dea, who will be sworn as the new chief with
the New Year, has announced plans to add a fourth
assistant chief position during his tenure in order to
better address the police bureau’s community engage
ment efforts.
O ’Dea has selected Commander Kevin Modica, a
black officer and long time veteran of the Portland Police
Bureau, who is currently supervisor of the Transit Police
division.
Modica will be the assistant chief of the new Commu
nity Services Branch, which means he will also be
responsible for traffic, transit police, youth services,
tactical operations, and emergency management divi
sions.
Kevin Modica