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WILKES-BARRE — As of Monday, King’s College will be the third Luzerne County institution of higher education with armed security guards patrolling campus.
Luzerne County Community College security guards began carrying guns in 2013. Wilkes University armed guards in June of 2014 following a security review by Vermont-based consulting firm Margolis Healy & Associates, which was retained in 2012.
Wilkes formed what President Patrick Leahy called a “hybrid” force of armed and unarmed guards, which is also the plan at King’s, college spokesman John McAndrew said Friday. Unlike Wilkes, where Leahy provided numbers — 16 full-time guards when the decision was made to arm three of them immediately and three more within a year — King’s is not releasing details.
State law allows the arming of officers who receive Act 235 training for all types of security guards, or Act 120 training required for municipal police officers. When Wilkes started arming guards, Leahy planned to only arm those with Act 120 training.
McAndrew said King’s has several guards with Act 120 training who can be armed immediately, but added that the college will also arm those with Act 235 training.
It’s not uncommon for colleges and university’s to hire former police officers for security. Bill Barrett at LCCC is the former Wilkes-Barre Police chief, as is Gerald Dessoye at King’s. Wilkes Public Safety Director Chris Jagoe spent 30 years in various capacities — including assistant chief — with University of Maryland security.
King’s has been working toward arming guards for 18 months, McAndrew said, the same amount of time Leahy cited when he announced Wilkes guards would be armed.
King’s plan mirrors Wilkes in one other way: Both decided against establishing full campus police forces, something only the University of Scranton has done in this area. In such situations, the campus officers have full police authority including the power to arrest and detain.
“Our guards will not have the ability to arrest,” McAndrew said. “We still rely on Wilkes-Barre Police for that.”
King’s security oversees all campus properties, the bulk of which are framed by North River, West Union, North Main and West North Streets, but the recent addition of King’s on the Square, in the former Ramada Hotel, extends the college’s reach almost to Market Street.
McAndrew said campus security does not cover off-campus housing, but that the college does offer help to Wilkes-Barre police if asked.
Misericordia University has considered arming security guards, but so far has opted against it, spokesman Paul Krzywicki said.