BOSTON — The idea to arm Northeastern University campus police officers with semi-automatic weapons hit a wall Monday night.
Boston City Council wanted to talk about the idea with school leaders, but the only people who showed up were students.
“It's incredibly disrespectful to them, to the neighborhoods around Northeastern and to the City Council just not to show up,” City Councilor Josh Zakim said.
But, Northeastern says they sent a letter Thursday night telling the council they would not be in attendance.
"Councilors Josh Zakim and Tito Jackson have called for this public hearing based on claims that Northeastern decided to increase the tactical capabilities of its Incident Containment Team ‘without the collaboration and approval of BPD’ and made ‘no effort to consult or involve the local community.’ These statements are not accurate,” the letter said.
Northeastern tells FOX25 it reached out to the Boston Police Department last October, and in a subsequent meeting about a week later, Northeastern says it showed BPD representatives the proposed rifle and spoke about joint training opportunities.
But, at the city council meeting, Boston police insisted that it wasn't enough.
“You have to be on the same page. If you want to bring more weapons into your arsenals you should be talking to the lead law enforcement agency,” Boston Police Chief William Gross said.