Columbia University president looks into giving campus police arresting authority

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik is looking into giving campus police officers the power to arrest individuals.

The proposal, which is currently being considered by administrators, would add “peace officers” to the university’s security team, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Under the proposal, peace officers would have the ability to physically contact students and arrest them, which campus officers currently can’t do.

Columbia University spokesperson Ben Chang didn’t deny the proposal’s existence when contacted by the Wall Street Journal.

[RELATED: UNC and Duke anti-Israel groups condone ‘armed rebellion’ and ‘revolutionary violence’ to achieve goals: ‘Resist by any means necessary’]

“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,” Chang said.

The proposal comes after a disastrous end to Columbia’s spring semester, as Shafik struggled to handle a weeks-long encampment on campus organized by anti-Israel protesters.

The encampment came to an end after protesters broke into a building on campus. Once inside, they used tables and chairs to block entry doors from the inside. Protesters could be heard cheering as individuals entered the building with barricades.

[RELATED: ‘BRUTALIZE,’ ‘ESCALATE’: CUNY anti-Israel group threatens violence against NYC and police officers]