Police at Mercyhurst University are now carrying guns in response to an uptick in gun violence in Erie and the suicide of a non-student who shot himself on campus.
Mercyhurst police Chief Robert Kuhn tells the Erie Times-News that arming the officers on the school's Erie and North East campuses won't change the way they do their jobs and won't be an adjustment for most officers because several carried guns as officers when they worked elsewhere.
The policy took effect Monday, but students and employees were notified by email last week.
The officers had background checks and psychological evaluations before being armed. Officers will have firearms training four times a year.
The private, Catholic, liberal arts school has a 15-member police force and about 4,000 students on all campuses.
