False alarm proves readiness of campus police

Although the semester had not started yet, a false alarm proved the readiness of campus police in case of an emergency situation.

On Freshman Move-In day, in the hubbub of students carting their belongings from the parking lot to their future homes for the semester, an alert Desk Assistant at Whiteman Hall promptly called campus police after observing a man with a concealed firearm inside a holster on his waist.

According to Lt. Vincent Kearney of the Kean University Dept. of Public Safety/Police, campus patrol officers and the K-9 unit—who were in the immediate area—searched the building while secondary responding officers temporarily closed off the lobby.

Within minutes of the initial phone call, police were able to locate the man and discover that he was a Jersey City Police officer whose firearm was unintentionally displayed while he helped a fellow family member move-in.

The building was not placed under lockdown nor evacuated due to the nature of the situation.

“An evacuation or lockdown was considered in the event that the suspicious person was not located and/or additional calls were received, but neither became necessary due to the quick work of our responding officers and detectives.” said Lt. Kearney.

Although the incident proved to be a false alarm, it demonstrated that campus police and the office of Residential Student Services staff are ever ready in the event suspicious activity, or a suspicious person.

“The Desk Assistant in this case followed the protocol and the police responded immediately.” added Lt. Kearney.

Pursuant to the National Police Officers Safety Act of 2004— commonly known as H.R. 218—all “qualified law enforcement officers employed by or retired from a local,State or Federal law enforcement agency” are authorized to carry a concealed firearm.

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