Darton State College completes review of incident in which police officer was escorted from class

ALBANY — Darton State College interim President Richard Carvajal responded Wednesday to an incident last week that has garnered “significant attention” for the college after a police officer who is a student was escorted from a classroom at Darton State College despite being a student at the college.

College policy allows police officers, including those who are off duty, to carry their service weapons while on campus.

Carvajal, in a statement to The Albany Herald, said Wednesday that he wanted to clear up “incorrect assumptions” that have been made since the event.

“As you know,” he said, “a situation arose on Darton’s campus last week that has garnered significant attention. The story that has been told contains many incorrect assumptions. Now that a full review has been completed, I am able to set the record straight.

“A member of Darton’s faculty saw a person in a hallway dressed in khaki pants, a polo shirt and a plain black jacket. The faculty member – who did not know the individual — noticed he was carrying a weapon and contacted Darton Public Safety for assistance.

“I truly appreciate her efforts to try to keep our campus safe. She was following previous guidance given to our campus to immediately report seeing anyone with a dangerous weapon to Public Safety.”

Carvajal continued: “In this instance, the individual turned out to be a student who was an off-duty commissioned police officer. The polo he was wearing had a police department insignia on it that was covered by his jacket; therefore, the student was not immediately recognized as a police officer.

“Upon arrival on the scene, Darton Public Safety recognized the student as a police officer of another agency. However, they mistakenly believed that police officers attending class while off-duty could not bring their weapons to class and asked that the student take his weapon to his vehicle, which he ultimately did.

“Upon further review of state statute by our officers, it was learned that Georgia law allows a commissioned officer to carry his/her weapon on campus.”

Carvajal reiterated the college’s respect for law enforcement officials.

“We are thankful for every first responder who protects us, no matter where they are, and whether on- or off-duty,” he said. “I regret this happened. We have apologized to the student for this misunderstanding. I am glad that he continues to be a valued member of our community, pursuing his degree program here at Darton.”

The college had previously issued an apology for the incident through a statement from Thomas Ormond, interim provost and vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, which read: “Darton State College is appreciative for the service of our law enforcement, and welcome them as students on our campus.

“We have apologized to the officer for our misunderstanding when he attended class on our campus, and we regret this happened. We have met with the faculty and staff involved to reiterate the Georgia Law and Darton Policy.”