Columbia University mulls arrest power for campus cops after anti-Israel protests disrupted school: report
Columbia University, which has no police force, may bolster security with more training and new peace officers after weeks of antisemitic disruptions on campus.
Columbia University leaders are looking to add police with the authority to make arrests and other powers not currently available to campus security staff, according to a new report.
The school confirmed it was looking to improve training for its public safety department and also expand its authority while relying less on the NYPD after antisemitic agitators spent weeks camping out on a school lawn before breaking into a building nearby and barricading themselves inside while demanding Israel stop its counteroffensive against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
Administrators are looking to rein in disruptions as the university prepares for the looming start of the fall semester. That expansion could add designated peace officers to the university's security team, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
"President [Minouche] Shafik and the university leadership team take their responsibility for the safety and well-being of the entire university community seriously," a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The university has been using the summer both to learn from the lessons of the past academic year and plan for the next one."
The school faced criticism from Jewish students and others who argued that leaders didn't do enough to address the agitators, who set up camp on a lawn and were accused of starting antisemitic confrontations. On the other hand, some faculty members defended the group and even blocked other students and members of the press from entering their encampment.
"Through a process of internal consultations and learning from across other higher ed institutions, we are preparing for a range of scenarios that may arise, with a focus on being able to maintain the academic and research operations of the university," the spokesperson said.
"As part of this consultative process, we are looking at various ways to supplement our public safety capabilities. We seek to strengthen the department’s skills and training in de-escalation techniques, expanding the department’s ability to manage a range of incidents while taking into account the fact Columbia does not have its own police force, as many peer institutions have, and potentially reducing our reliance on the NYPD."
SPEAKER JOHNSON CALLS OUT CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM AS COLUMBIA'S ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS HECKLE HIM
Shafik asked the NYPD to step in after weeks of antisemitic demonstrations on campus led agitators to occupy a university building, Hamilton Hall, and barricade its doors, prompting criticism from those who support the anti-Israel groups.
The decision to have police remove the agitators prompted the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, to call for a vote of no confidence in Shafik and other Columbia administration officials, including the entire board of trustees.
There were no reported injuries when the NYPD took control of Hamilton Hall back from the occupiers, but the AAUP described the operations as a "horrific police attack" and claimed it had received reports of violence against the demonstrators, including one person who was knocked unconscious.
A small but influential group of faculty members has also opposed stricter rules governing campus protests, according to the Journal report. Under current policies, security guards are not allowed to put their hands on students.
"There’s no middle ground, it’s either do nothing and let the protesters do whatever they want, or call the NYPD," James Applegate, a professor and member of the university senate, told the paper.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, ripped the "despicable" academic environment that he said fomented the behavior. Authorities later revealed that nearly half of the people arrested inside the building were not Columbia students.
Last month, the university also removed three senior staff members accused of sharing antisemitic text messages.
The antisemitic environment led some of the university's billionaire donors to publicly question their financial support for the school.
Supporters of Students for Justice in Palestine, one of the groups organizing the national anti-Israel demonstrations, insist they are carrying out peaceful protests.
However, multiple Columbia students who said they were authorized to speak on behalf of the group declined to discuss their activities with Fox News Digital.