The Superintendent of Public Safety for IU Jerry Minger said, the program that allows the University to have these weapons has been in place for some time.
To make weapons accessible, Minger said IUPD entered into a type of permanent loan from the federal government, and all they needed to pay for is the shipping of the equipment and the maintenance it requires.
Minger said the equipment includes protective gear, such as vests, gas masks and ballistic helmets, which not only withstand impact like a motorcycle helmet but also are bulletproof.
IUPD may have had the helmets for up to ten years.
Since about 2010, Minger said the Bloomington campus has had six modified M-16 rifles in its ?possession.
The rifles have been modified from their military grade automatic functions to a semiautomatic, or one bullet per trigger pull, status.
He said this makes them comparable to the commercial grade AR-15 rifle.
IUPD does not want to have full automatic weapons in its possession, Minger said.
“This is not a situation where we have tanks and, you know, rocket launchers,” Land said.
Minger said all IU campuses have access to this type of equipment.
“It wasn’t a secret by any means,” Minger said, acknowledging the transparency that IUPD uses.
That transparency stems from the fact that both university and police administration have a say in the procuring of these weapons.
Land said IUPD is comprised of trained officers that are capable of using said weapons, and the weapons are kept locked away during all times they aren’t in use.
Minger said all officers who could use these weapons are trained to the standards of IUPD that both meet and exceed many of Indiana’s training ?requirements.
Typically, these types of weapons would be used in instances of high risk felonies and search warrants, or in instances of hostage situations or active shooters on campus, Minger said.
In order to combat that kind of weaponry, this kind of weapon is needed, Minger said. It is difficult to protect a campus this size from that kind of a serious threat.
“There are gun instances, probably more than you’ve heard about,” he said, referencing times when dangerous situations developed near the ?campus.
Though Minger said he couldn’t recall a time when these weapons were needed on campus, he said strict policies dictate when they can be brought in and how the weapons are to be used.
There are three multijurisdictional Critical Instant Response Team officers within IUPD, Monroe County Police Department and Bloomington Police Department that do carry this caliber of weapon in their vehicles at all times during their shifts, he said.
“These officers are trained in special tactics,” Minger said.
Although IUPD did obtain these weapons in the same way that Fegruson’s police department did, the weapons here are less publicized because they are never really put to use, he said.
Minger said IUPD’s possession of these weapons is meant to be purely defensive in the case of an emergency.
“We’re more guardians of the public and the ?community,” he said.
