On most colleges you go to, you’ll notice the occasional security personnel riding around in a golf cart, making sure kids aren’t getting into trouble. Sometimes though, you may have a police officer or two there, whose sole purpose is to nonverbally intimidate students (because the guys in the golf carts really aren’t all that intimidating).
In all actuality though, theses officers are the first responders to any incident that may occur, like when it comes to apprehending a shooter or a rapist, or taking care of any bad situation that may occur on campus.Though according to the associated press, their bounds of jurisdiction may go beyond the campus. Why? To keep “closer tabs” on students.
With the growth of student housing, which can lead to a rise in crime, universities have found it necessary to hire more officers, expanding their reach past the campus. You don’t even have to be affiliated with the college to get pulled over or taken into custody. Whether you’re drunk driving or running a stop sign in your neighborhood, they can get you. But should colleges be allowed to do this?
The argument against this is that with police officers working outside of their jurisdiction, there may not be any recourse if one of them were to act outside of protocol. Another thing that comes into question too is their level of training .
It’s a sticky situation, but it certainly would help in situations where officers would need to carry on an investigation off campus for a crime that occurred on campus. And this certainly isn’t a breach of privacy either. As long as the federal government doesn’t get involved and stays on the local level, then we should be good.
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