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4/8/2026
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Rep. O’Brien asks how many warning signs do CCRI and RIC need before arming campus police
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STATE HOUSE – Rep. William W. O’Brien is asking the leadership of the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and Rhode Island College (RIC) how many more warning signs and close calls they need before they step up and protect their campuses by arming campus police.
“Yesterday’s incident at CCRI is the second time armed police officers were urgently needed on a CCRI campus in the last year. Thank goodness yesterday’s event was not more severe, but if that individual was an active shooter, crucial seconds and minutes would have been lost waiting for the Warwick Police Department to arrive on campus,” said Representative O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence). “How many more close calls do the presidents of CCRI and RIC need before they wake up, do the right thing, and protect their campuses with armed police officers?”
Representative O’Brien has reintroduced two bills to protect Rhode Island’s public college and university campuses. The first bill (2026-H 7128) mandates arming campus police at public higher educational institutions. The second bill (2026-H 7556) requires that all campus police officers be equipped with ballistic body armor.
“We’ve now had two active shooter tragedies in our state in the past few months. Opponents of my legislation are more afraid of trained police officers with weapons than they are of maniacs intent on causing maximum damage. This nonsensical viewpoint is putting the campuses of CCRI and RIC in serious danger. The State Police want this, the local police departments want this, and our students, faculty and visitors at CCRI and RIC deserve the safety that my bills will provide. Without armed campus police officers, we are living on borrowed time before another tragedy strikes Rhode Island,” concluded Representative O’Brien.
Representative O’Brien notes that CCRI and Rhode Island College remain outliers in the region, with each school having the only campus police officers among public colleges in New England without firearms or Tasers. He also says that the University of Rhode Island has had armed campus police since 2015.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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