Manchester Community College Officers Push to Carry Guns

Manchester Community College's Police Department is pushing state legislation allowing its officers to carry guns.

The Journal Inquirer reports that the college's Police Department is turning to the General Assembly after lobbying the Board of Regents for Higher Education for years to change its policy.

The proposed legislation would establish a "special police force" at Manchester Community College, giving it the same recognition as departments at the University of Connecticut and the four regional state universities.

Lt. Michael Davis, the commanding officer of the college's five-officer department, said his force is limited without firearms. He said officers had to wait for backup from Manchester police before launching a significant response to reports of a man carrying a gun on campus in March 2013.