All Veterans Administration police at all VA medical centers will now be armed.
Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober announced Monday that he signed the order last week.
Gober said that the shooting incident at the Salisbury VA facility was on his mind and played a key role in his decision.
“If our officers were not armed, the damage would have been much worse, “ said Gober.
While presenting Awards of Valor to four staffers, he called for redoubling efforts to provide security for staff, visitors and patients.
“We must redouble our efforts to keep such a tragedy from happening again,” Gober said.
The secretary said VA Police are trained police officers, not security guards.
Nationwide there are 2,100 trained VA police officers stationed at major VA medical facilities and outpatient clinics.
He called for more training for the VA Police, adding that they must have needed equipment.
Since 1986, four VA police officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty.
In the fall of 1996, VA began a pilot program to study the feasibility of arming VA police with 9mm semi-automatic pistols. Twelve facilities initially participated in the study. VA officials decided in 1998 to arm police officers at 15 more facilities, including Salisbury, by 2000. Local officers strapped on their firearms in May.
Gober served 20 years in the Marines and Army and two tours of duty in Vietnam. Prior to joining the national Department of Veterans, he directed veterans affairs in the State of Arkansas during the tenure of Gov. Bill Clinton.
In 1993, Clinton appointed Gober as deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs.
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