UNC police expand domain to Granville

Story reprinted from May 21 issue of The Daily Tar Heel. The Board of Trustees approved the agreement May 27.


An agreement between the Chapel Hill Police Department and University police seeks to place Granville Towers entirely under the latter’s jurisdiction.

Approved by the Town Council on Monday night, the Extended Jurisdiction Agreement will now go under review of the Board of Trustees.

“It’s a very positive step,” said Trustee Bob Winston. “I think it will pass. It’s a great example of cooperation between the University and Chapel Hill.”

The agreement will be addressed at the trustees’ May 27 meeting. It could go into effect as soon as signatures are added, if passed.

In addition to expanding University police jurisdiction to inside Granville and the parking lot that surrounds it — which the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation is purchasing for $45.75 million, along with the adjacent University Square — the agreement would increase the overlap and collaboration between the two police departments.

“We already operate in joint capacity in so many instances,” said Randy Young, spokesman for UNC’s Department of Public Safety, which encompasses University police. He cited post-game celebrations and Halloween as peak times of collaboration between the departments.

The proposed changes would include expansion of joint training.

University police jurisdiction would also be extended into parts of Chapel Hill in a secondary capacity: on-duty officers traveling between areas in their primary jurisdiction would be allowed to intervene if they witnessed criminal activity in areas like downtown.

Currently, campus officers would have the same authority as a normal citizen if they saw an off-campus crime. Their options would be limited to calling 911.

Chief Brian Curran of the Chapel Hill Police Department said there are no plans to hand over jurisdiction of University Square as well, because it is a retail area as opposed to student dorms.

That includes the Chapel Hill Police Department retaining control of the sub-station located in University Square.

Future discussions are more likely to focus on managing responsibility for Carolina North once construction begins.

Curran said he and Jeff McCracken, chief of UNC’s Department of Public Safety, took the purchase of Granville and University Square as an opportunity to rehash the existing agreement.

Curran added that he doesn’t expect any new hires or firings to result from the new territories. However, the agreement could have a small part in relieving stress caused by budgetary restraints.

Currently, UNC’s Department of Public Safety has 53 sworn officers.

It’s unknown if the jurisdiction changes will have any effect on the security staff currently employed to patrol Granville through Guardsmark Security.

“This will put more police officers, more eyes out there,” Curran said. “You can get more bang for your buck.”