Armed deputy starts patrols at Oregon community college rocked by shooting

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An armed sheriff's deputy will begin patrolling an Oregon college where a gunman killed nine people and himself last month.

The Oregonian reports that Douglas County deputy Scott Batsch began patrols at Umpqua Community College on Monday. When a shooter attacked the Roseburg campus on Oct. 1, there was one guard armed only with pepper spray.

Batsch is a recently retired deputy with experience as a school resource officer.

Umpqua's $30,000 contract with Douglas County will pay for Batsch to be on campus seven hours a day, five days a week through June 30. He will have a car on campus but mostly patrol on foot.

Oregon law says community colleges can't employ armed officers, but they can contract with police agencies for the service.