HONOLULU -- The University of Hawaii has hired Honolulu Police Department officers to add to its security of the Manoa campus.
Two off-duty officers will patrol the campus from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Sunday.
The HPD officers will join the three to four UH Manoa security guards who are on duty during those hours. The joint force will cover the 300 acres of the campus, plus College Hill and the faculty housing complex in upper Manoa.
The change comes as the school re-evaluated the security following the tragedy at Virginia Tech earlier this year, according to UH spokesman Gregg Takeyama.
"These police officers will provide added security to UH Manoa students and staff at night, plus rapid response in case of any on-campus emergencies," UH Vice Chancellor for Administration Kathy Cutshaw said in a written statement.
With the police on campus, it gives security the ability to make arrests more quickly and respond with firearms if necessary.
"There does tend to be a lack of security at night on campus and there have been some incidents in the past few semesters," UH senior Arthur Domingo said.
Those problems include a sexual assault in a dorm room in August, some issues with student drinking and a constant problem with thefts.
"It's timely. It adds another presence. They'll be visible, and we hope acts as a deterrent for future criminal acts," Takayama said.
The university is still evaluating a long-term security plan, Takeyama said.
Officials are looking at three possibilities including: creating an HPD substation on campus, creating a state sheriff's substation on campus or creating a campus police force that would carry firearms and have the power to make arrests, Takeyama said.
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