Northeastern University to Arm Campus Police With Rifles in Wake of Shootings

In the wake of a series of mass shootings around the country, one university is beefing up security by arming campus police with semi-automatic rifles.

Northeastern University, in the heart of Boston, has announced a controversial plan to arm campus officers, despite opposition from city law enforcement officials.

The rifles will be deployed in campus police vehicles during high-level threats, the university said.

"Our officers are trained to employ a number of capabilities to protect the campus community, including the use of tactical rifles, if necessary," Northeastern said.

But the Boston Police Department doesn't think arming campus police is necessary, and has some concerns.

"What concerns the BPD is when we hear of certain campus police departments that are nestled within city neighborhoods making decisions like this without including the Boston Police and other community stakeholders," the Boston Police Department told ABC News.