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The Daily Tar Heel
Department of Public Safety

UNC's Department of Public Safety is a sworn police force that protects UNC students, faculty and facilities. North Carolina law gives universities the power to establish campus law enforcement agencies and gives UNC police officers jurisdiction over all property owned by the University and any roads that pass through that property or border it.

An agreement with Chapel Hill Police gives DPS jurisdiction to respond to suspicious, criminal or emergency issues on sections of Franklin and Rosemary streets. DPS also has jurisdiction over Granville Towers. Chapel Hill Police and DPS work together frequently, both in handling special events at the University and in investigating off-campus crimes committed on the property of off-campus student organizations. DPS officers conduct safety demonstrations and lectures throughout campus to help increase safety awareness. The department also manages Alert Carolina and oversees parking on campus.

DPS is one of only 28 college police departments accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The department became nationally accredited in November 1995, making it one of about 600 law enforcement agencies out of 17,000 to earn the honor.