What has been referred to for years as the Department of Public Safety on the University of Oregon campus has now officially changed its name to the University of Oregon Police Department. “With the name change, there’s no difference in the way that we’re deploying our services right now,” said Kelly McIver, UOPD’s Public Information Officer. While there are police officers currently on staff, they are not usually engaged with regular patrols or response. UOPD’s number one priority is campus safety involving off-campus hazards, such as bike theft.

UOPD, however, first has to ease the reputation for being harsh on students. “It’s a common misconception that the Department of Public Safety, or now the Police Department, is here to enforce things on students, but that couldn’t be more wrong,” said McIver.

The proposed equipment changes and potential addition of firearms within the next year have raised the concerns of students, among them recent graduate Matthew Brauer. “I think the more people in authority that we have around us carrying weaponry visibly creates a sort of nervous environment that people, and especially students, don’t need to be in,” he remarked.

“No equipment changes, there’s not firearms being carried by officers on campus. That’s something that we’re going to be talking about on campus this year during the academic year 2012-13” said Kelly McIver. Students’ votes play a large role in whether UOPD will ever carry firearms on campus. Fore more information please visit police.uoregon.edu.