Information about Campus Law Enforcement
The UNC Police Department is a legally appointed entity with full law enforcement agency status whose sworn personnel have all the powers of law enforcement officers, including the authority to execute arrests. The Department’s jurisdiction includes “all property owned or leased to the institution employing the campus police officer and that portion of any public road or highway passing through such property or immediately adjoining it, wherever located,” in accordance with NC General Statute § 116-40.5.
Additionally, UNC Police is one of only 59 college and university police agencies in the country that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), and is one of only three such university agencies currently accredited in the State of North Carolina.
Through an expanded jurisdiction agreement with the Chapel Hill Police, UNC Police officers who are en route to off-campus facilities respond to any suspicious, criminal, or emergency situations occurring on sections of Franklin and Rosemary streets to the north and west of campus, including off-campus housing, and they have full authority in those areas. The Granville Towers housing facilities also fall within the primary jurisdiction of the UNC Police.
UNC Police Department has mutual aid agreements pertaining to the investigation of criminal incidents with the Sheriff’s Departments for Chatham County, Durham County, and Orange County; the Police Departments for Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Hillsborough; and the Campus Police Departments for East Carolina University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina State University, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and The University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Officers from the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Police Departments and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department often provide assistance when there is a major special event at the University. On request, UNC Police cooperates with law enforcement agencies investigating criminal activity on the premises of recognized, off-campus student organizations, but UNC Police does not request that the local law enforcement agencies monitor or record criminal activity at these locations. UNC Police also has a close working relationship with the State Bureau of Investigation and N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, and it conducts joint operations and training exercises with the Chapel Hill Police. A mobile command center is available for use in large-scale and protracted Police responses or for use in joint operations as an incident command center.
In the interest of agency interoperability, UNC Police uses the statewide VIPER 800 MHz communication system that allows for a more cohesive communications strategy with other Orange County emergency and law enforcement agencies, as well as police agencies across the state. Compliance with APCO Project 25 standards enhance interoperability with other agencies and enable UNC Police to stay current with changing technologies and the needs of the University community.