Patrick TrautfieldThe University Police Department responded to a call on Feb. 27 about a man on campus who appeared to have a gun by sending officers armed with shotguns and rifles. The manner of the response shocked many students about University Police policies involving gun use on campus.
Detective Wayne Lyons said the man was part of the David Copperfield performance that was held on campus that evening.
When police reached the scene they found the man was actually holding a flashlight in a holster like other David Copperfield crew members, Lyons said.
Philosophy junior Aaron Morales said he was surprised by the police officers’ response.
“I was just kind of shocked of the weapons they were carrying,” Morales said. “I didn’t know that we had officers running around with assault rifles on this campus. It looked very military.”
Some officers were carrying shotguns and rifles, Lyons said.
“I was just surprised they were running around like that because, in my opinion, those weapons aren’t used for wounding someone but killing someone,” Morales said. “I was just wondering who authorized the use of those weapons on campus.”
Every police department in California has shotguns and rifles in all patrol cars, and it is important for officers to be well prepared in a situation such as this, Lyons said.
“I was personally carrying my handgun but other officers did have rifles and shotguns,” Lyons said. “That is very standard. You never know if a person at the scene will have a rifle himself.”
University Police Department Commander Lori Hashim said police always arrive on a scene in safety gear, which includes a handgun and pepper spray.
“We take these calls very seriously, especially with everything that happens in society today,” Hashim said. “We are always going to approach it as if it is a real problem.”
The crewmember was unaware that his flashlight looked like a gun, but Lyons said he wasn’t surprised that a passerby thought it was a handgun.
“They were clueless,” Lyons said. “They had no idea what people were assuming. It really did look like he had a handgun on his hip from the front. You really couldn’t tell it was a flashlight until he turned to the side. So, I mentioned that he may want to move the hostler somewhere besides his right side.”
Lyons said that students should always report suspicious situations on campus.
“Our common complaint is that if students do see anything unusual, take note of the person and report it right away,” Lyons said. “Try to get as much visual information as you can: what color hair, color pants or what he was wearing.”