Students should feel safe knowing that if a situation arises on campus that requires a modified grenade launcher, the UCF Police Department is armed and ready.
Despite having this heavy weaponry, UCF says the grenade launcher hasn’t been used in years.
“The department is in possession of a grenade launcher that was retrofitted for tear gas and hasn’t been out of the armory in several years,” UCF spokeswoman Courtney Gilmartin said.
According to a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education, UCFPD houses 23 M-16 assault rifles in addition to the modified grenade launcher in the armory.
The Chronicle reported that the grenade launcher was also used for training purposes in the past. A spokeswoman for UCFPD told the Chronicle the device was acquired for “security and crowd control.”
UCF said the grenade launcher has been in UCF’s ownership since about 1994 for the World Cup that was hosted in Orlando.
“The games took place at the Citrus Bowl, where our football team used to play before the on-campus stadium opened,” Gilmartin said. “UCF Police inherited the modified launcher around that time for security and crowd control purposes, and at one time the launcher was used for training.”
UCFPD Chief Richard Beary told the Chronicle that the M-16 rifles are stored in police vehicles for emergencies such as last year’s near attack on campus by James Seevakumaran.
“What was once the unthinkable has become the inevitable,” Mr. Beary told the Chronicle. “These bad guys have plans and are heavily armed, and law enforcement needs to be able to keep up with them. In order to do that, police officers need to be highly trained, well equipped, and ready to respond to any scenario.”
UCF also keeps prepared and safe from attacks by having military first-aid kits on hand, which hold medical supplies and extra ammunition.
“The idea is that officers responding to an emergency grab their pack and their weapons, enter the space, take down the perpetrator and then provide aid to themselves, other officers or victims,” Gilmartin said.
