ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon college where a gunman killed nine people and himself last month will have a patrol officer from the county sheriff’s office on campus for the rest of the year.
Douglas County commissioners approved a $30,000 contract with Umpqua Community College on Wednesday. The Roseburg News-Review reports that the money will pay for a sheriff’s deputy to be on campus seven hours per day, five days a week for the rest of the fiscal year.
The lack of an armed guard on campus sparked widespread debate in the days following the Oct. 1 shooting. The college considered hiring an guard about a year before shooting but opted against it.
Commissioner Tim Freeman says it’s a wise decision that will be very comforting to students.