David Tedjesk, Villanova’s Public Safety Director and Chief of Police, has announced that the university’s police department now has three armed officers, writes Maria McGeary for Philadelphia Magazine.

All officers in the fledgling department have completed 22 weeks of police-academy training. They can directly communicate with law enforcement, use their database, and are authorized to stop, question, and detain individuals. All of its officers are equipped with batons, handcuffs, bulletproof vests, pepper spray, and body cameras.

New officers will continue to be hired over time, with a total of 19 expected to become part of the campus’s public safety force within a year.

The controversial decision to arm 20 percent of the force’s officers was communicated to students and faculty in an e-mail by Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue in October last year. The announcement was immediately met with protests.

Students and faculty organized open forums and marches, produced videos, and took to social media to condemn the decision. At a town-hall style meeting in November, Donohue listened to the community’s concerns, but ultimately announced that the decision would not be overturned.

“We are extremely fortunate that Villanova has been a safe place, but we would be remiss not to consider what has been happening on college campuses across the country,” he said.

Read more about his decision in Philadelphia Magazine by clicking here.