Campus police officers have begun carrying handguns at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, 44 years after college officials decided to disarm them.

University spokeswoman Kelly Bartling told the Kearney Hub the change was made to align university police with the policies, procedures, standards and equipment of its peer agencies.

She also said students and the campus community “will be safer with armed officers.”

University Police Chief Jim Davis says his officer candidates must complete 16 weeks of basic training at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island, which is the same training completed by city and county officers.

The university officers are paired with field training officers after graduating from the Grand Island academy so they can learn collegiate law enforcement.

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