CINCINNATI (AP): U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has requested that Veterans Affairs police be designated as law enforcement officers with authority beyond VA property, citing an Ohio case in which a shooter fled a medical center.
 
Ohio's Democratic senator asked VA Secretary Robert McDonald for the change in a letter Thursday. Brown says VA police currently have no authority beyond VA property and that could hinder their ability to respond to threats.
 
Last year, a former VA employee responsible for a shooting at the Dayton VA Medical Center fled the facility, with VA police unable to pursue him off the property. He was arrested later by other law enforcement officers and eventually pleaded guilty to an assault charge.
 
The VA says it will review Brown's letter and respond directly to the senator's office.