UNC-W police extend jurisdiction

UNC-Wilmington campus police can now exercise their authority beyond campus limits.

The university is expanding its jurisdiction because more students living off campus has increased the need for security in those areas.

The concerns mirror those expressed by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Public Safety, which extended its jurisdiction this summer.

David Donaldson, chief of police at UNC-W, said the expansion was inevitable.

“It’s a natural evolution of the campus police department and the campus,” he said.

Campus police at UNC-W can now investigate university-related cases that lead them off campus, where the primary student community is located.

Donaldson said the agreement has led to a more efficient police force that can respond to calls faster. It also allows officers to investigate cases more thoroughly without violating their jurisdiction restrictions.

Donaldson said he worked with a senior detective from the Wilmington police force to identify areas where cases occurred that campus police were unable to pursue because of jurisdiction restrictions. Those areas were considered when mapping the new jurisdiction limits.

Even with the partnership, campus police will still refer ongoing and serious cases to local authorities, even if the location is within their jurisdiction, Donaldson said.

Donaldson said campus police at most UNC-system schools are planning to expand their jurisdiction. UNC-CH public safety officers extended their authority to the Franklin Street area this summer.

Randy Young, UNC-Chapel Hill DPS spokesman, said the new relationship between campus police and the Chapel Hill police force has so far been a win-win.

“It all-in-all offers more police coverage to residents,” he said.

The campus police at UNC-CH were given full power of arrest and are fully able to respond to situations requiring police action. One of the deciding points was Granville Towers, which was part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation’s purchase of University Square in July.

“When the Granville Towers situation was evolving, they were trying to figure out a way to police that property,” said Chapel Hill Police Lt. Kevin Gunter in an interview last summer.

“With it being in the central business district, it just made sense for this agreement to play out as it did.”

Young said the expansion has worked because it combines two groups with the same mission — creating an environment that minimizes crime.

“Crimes happening on the fringe of campus affect campus and vice-versa,” he said.


Senior writer C. Ryan Barber contributed reporting.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.