3 ms·

anyone can make an arrest, but campus police et al can't shoot you legally as the government police can, they can't call in other branches of government like sw

by hnriot 12y ago

anyone can make an arrest, but campus police et al can't shoot you legally as the government police can, they can't call in other branches of government like swat or air support or even the military, they can't take you to jail, after an arrest they need to call the real police. There's a big difference between campus police which are benign and the regular government police. sometimes (as at UC Davis) the campus police get ahead of themselves and start acting like the real police, but thankfully they can be reigned in, unlike the real cops who can do whatever they want and get away with it.

mds 12y ago
The UCPD are technically State Police and are definitely real cops that can arrest and/or shoot you.
Alupis 12y ago
You hinted at the UCD pepper spray incident (which was under orders of the school chancellor, but nobody remembers that and she still has her job). The campus police can and will shoot you. They are a real-deal police department. Most of the university shootings are ended by campus police (usually shooting the gunman). However you sort of hinted at the fact that most campus police are a lot more lenient than city/state police. This is true in my experience -- guessing, but probably because they know who they are largely working with. Students. Drunk students, students doing dumb things, etc. Not hardened criminals most of the time. I'd probably step to far, but I'd wager campus police is a much safer line of work for an officer as well (no flip of the coin if the guy you pulled over for speeding will pull a gun on you, etc).
- esrauch 12y ago
  UC Davis is a state school. State schools tend to have real police, I don't know of any private university that does (why or how would they?)
  - Philadelphia 12y ago
    Many do. Penn definitely does, for one (http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/UPPD/ http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/UPPD/).
crazypyro 12y ago
This is not true. I know the University Police at my college are full fledged state police officers and have all the same rights, protections, and duties as a city patrol officer.
jrazavian 12y ago
Generally, you will find that the difference in 'demeanor' for campus police is due to the flow of money. For city, county, and state police... fines and fees generally flow back to their respective coffers. Campus police (technically state agencies) on the other hand (generally) have budgets appropriated by the state regardless of revenue generation. This is why you will often hear stories of a drunken college student being escorted home instead of arrested; there is no financial interest in having them arrested. Edits: grammar
koenigdavidmj 12y ago
To give one random example, University of Washington police are King County Sheriff deputies with a different shoulder patch. They have the same abilities as our local transit police and the handful of towns that contract to KCSO for their local policing.

by hnriot 12y ago

mds 12y ago

The UCPD are technically State Police and are definitely real cops that can arrest and/or shoot you.

Alupis 12y ago

You hinted at the UCD pepper spray incident (which was under orders of the school chancellor, but nobody remembers that and she still has her job). The campus police can and will shoot you. They are a real-deal police department. Most of the university shootings are ended by campus police (usually shooting the gunman). However you sort of hinted at the fact that most campus police are a lot more lenient than city/state police. This is true in my experience -- guessing, but probably because they know who they are largely working with. Students. Drunk students, students doing dumb things, etc. Not hardened criminals most of the time. I'd probably step to far, but I'd wager campus police is a much safer line of work for an officer as well (no flip of the coin if the guy you pulled over for speeding will pull a gun on you, etc).

esrauch 12y ago
UC Davis is a state school. State schools tend to have real police, I don't know of any private university that does (why or how would they?)
- Philadelphia 12y ago
  Many do. Penn definitely does, for one (http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/UPPD/ http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/UPPD/).

crazypyro 12y ago

This is not true. I know the University Police at my college are full fledged state police officers and have all the same rights, protections, and duties as a city patrol officer.

jrazavian 12y ago

Generally, you will find that the difference in 'demeanor' for campus police is due to the flow of money. For city, county, and state police... fines and fees generally flow back to their respective coffers. Campus police (technically state agencies) on the other hand (generally) have budgets appropriated by the state regardless of revenue generation. This is why you will often hear stories of a drunken college student being escorted home instead of arrested; there is no financial interest in having them arrested. Edits: grammar

koenigdavidmj 12y ago

To give one random example, University of Washington police are King County Sheriff deputies with a different shoulder patch. They have the same abilities as our local transit police and the handful of towns that contract to KCSO for their local policing.