NCJ Number
166674
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: (1996) Pages: 1-22
Date Published
1996
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed campus police statutes throughout the United States by assessing how States have responded statutorily in their efforts to provide professional campus security, common elements of existing campus police statutes, and statutory trends.
Abstract
In 1994, campus police statutes were sought for each of the 50 States. Once specific statutes were identified, copies were sent to members of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrations in each State to verify statutes were current. Results revealed wide variations in statutes granting campus police authority. As with other laws, it appeared State legislatures often enacted campus police statutes to solve specific problems at a given time. For example, increases in the number of automobiles on campus in Mississippi probably led to the inclusion of language that specifically requires the regulation of vehicular traffic and parking on campus. In addition to granting full police authority to many campus police departments, statutes frequently reflected the regulatory role played by many of those departments. Campus police statutes varied greatly in length and specificity. Most States granted police authority to campus police officers at public institutions. Further, powers of campus police officers at these institutions were generally equivalent to those of local law enforcement counterparts. The author recommends a model campus police statute be developed that includes such elements as appointing authority, jurisdiction, and police officer qualifications and training requirements. An appendix lists official codes to which State campus police statutes refer and provides data on features of campus police statutes. 32 references, 5 notes, and 2 tables