Powers of Boston University Campus Police

LenS said:
Most students are in the dark as to what their campus police do, but the above list is "normal" on any urban campus. Add to that investigating/prosecuting murder and suicides and you have the entire gamut.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. College campuses don't exist in bubbles, separate from the cities in which they are located. If the city is a s--- hole, the campus can't really be a whole lot better, despite it's outward appearances (*cough cough* STCC/AIC/Springfield College *cough cough*).
 
TheWookie said:
I was taught long ago by my law enforcement family members that anytime anyone in uniform, on official duty, in a clearly marked uniform of a police type, tells me to do anything, anything, I do it and keep my mouth shut and my thoughts and opinions to myself.

That is the best way to stay out of avoidable trouble. Just my thoughts.

At the moment of truth (i.e. when they are performing their duties) I'm not second-guessing them. With-in reason, lets not start what ifing me, please. I might question them after, like you are doing here, but NEVER question them in person unless you have free-time and very good connections. If you do argue, very likely at minimum you're going to ruin your daily schedule, and more then likely the cop's going to cuff you and stuff you like Roscoe P Coltrane. For what, being wrong in the first place. You’re going to lose arguing with cops.

I think you handled it fine, and brining it up after shows your maturity and restraint.
Click to expand...


You can't win an argument with LE... my Dad taught me that, and I've taught my son that. And, BTW, I am appreciative of what LE does for us. I think there are a lot of hard working, caring and respectful police officers out there. As in any field there are a few bad apples but that goes with the territory. By and large I'm a fan of LE. Take a look at the terrorist attacks that LE has stopped in the past two weeks. That is freaking awesome.

I was just curious about this situation and the potential outcomes. I've learned that BU police have a lot more authority than I would have thought, and that is good to know.

Thanks,

Rich
 
pdm said:
Heh, well they certainly didn't advertise any of the more serious criminal offenses. They did make a big deal about how they got bike officers. Dorky-lookin' shorts FTW! [wink]
Click to expand...

They try their best to cover it up so that they don't scare the sheep . . . the parents who pay the tuition bills and the students (most of whom think that they are impervious to crime)!

My town does the same thing, only selectively releasing innocuous stuff to the newspapers for publication. Listen to the scanner on any PD frequency (colleges included) and you get a VERY DIFFERENT picture.

richc said:
But then they try to enforce parking on a parking on a public street in spite of the situation.

So I'll double park and take the risk. If I get a ticket I get a ticket. I take responsibility. If the ticket is issued by BU police I'll likely ask for my day in court. I am legally allowed to see if a magistrate is willing to listen to a reasonable guy. It will also test to see if BU is willing to pay one of their officers to go to court to defend this. They do seem to be willing to pay officers to enforce parking laws on public streets.

Finally, part of this is about my freedoms. We all know there are a lot of wannabes out there. Folks that pretend to have powers that they really don't. These may be security guards or campus police. On their turf their word is law. On public streets I'm a regular citizen who has rights.

I just wanted to know where my rights begin and end.

Thanks, everyone.

Best,

Rich
Click to expand...

Rich, BUPD is trying their best to not create traffic problems for BPD . . . or they will get called on the carpet by BPD and Mumbles office. This is the admin stuff, not individual officer stuff.

Regardless, any ticket that BUPD would give out would NOT be a BPD ticket and thus you'd never see a magistrate or a judge in Boston Municipal Court.

They are using their power of bluff . . . but only to a point. If you call their bluff, they just radio for a BPD car and you get a genuine ticket and perhaps other problems as well.

Best to be polite, say "yes sir/ma'am" and move to somewhere else for the time being.

BOSTON SUCKS for traffic. I do my utmost to stay out of there and cringe whenever I have to drive there.
 
That's one of the reasons why I didn't have a car while at BU. I could always catch the Green Line out and get picked up by my parents if necessary.
 
richc said:
I wonder how the campus police who seem to have authority deal with citizens who legal CCW? I don't know that there is an answer to the question, but with official police powers it makes me wonder what their attitude is on citizens legally carrying.

Campus police are God on their private property. Their word is law. But things are different outside that domain. Do they understand the difference?
Click to expand...

The real question is where do they believe University property begins and ends. I wonder what would have happened were they to somehow determine through any escalation/asking you to exit vehicle/pat down that the OP were CCing. I probably would have just circled the block and picked up junior on the next loop to avoid any further interaction. I know sometimes at Logan I have circled many times at the request of the MSP shooing along the masses at terminal C. Easier to drive around than be involved in an un-needed hassle for sure.
 
LenS said:
... Regardless, any ticket that BUPD would give out would NOT be a BPD ticket and thus you'd never see a magistrate or a judge in Boston Municipal Court...
Click to expand...
Are you SURE of that? (I don't work at BU or know anyone who does, so I don't know one way or another.) Whether or not BUPD has chpt. 90 powers (or more importantly books) is one thing and if they don't have books, sure I wouldn't be surprised that BPD does not "loan" out chpt. 90 books to BUPD. However, I would be surprised that the City of Boston wouldn't happily hand out "real" parking ticket books ($$$) to virtually any "agency" it could, for the city it would be "free money"...
 
Based on what happened when a PD gave out books to another LE agency (Sheriffs Dept IIRC), it hit the fan in a very big way.

It would be political suicide for BPD to give BUPD any books.

The college PDs print their own tickets. They look real, but they can't bring you to court or impose the fines on anyone that isn't directly affiliated with the college as student/staff.
 
This is the MGL that gives University and College Police their powers. All campus police have full police powers on property owned, leased and rented by the college. And full powers on property that directly surrounds the campus (which interestingly enough stemmed from a BU case back in the 90's).

Chapter 22C: Section 63 Employees of colleges, universities, other educational institutions and hospitals; appointment as special officers
Section 63. The colonel may, upon such reasonable terms and conditions as may be prescribed by him, at the request of an officer of a college, university, other educational institution or hospital licensed pursuant to section fifty-one of chapter one hundred and eleven, appoint employees of such college, university, other educational institution or hospital as special state police officers. Such special state police officers shall serve for three years, subject to removal by the colonel, and they shall have the same power to make arrests as regular police officers for any criminal offense committed in or upon lands or structures owned, used or occupied by such college, university, or other institution or hospital.
Each application for appointment as a special state police officer or a renewal thereof shall be accompanied by a fee, the amount of which shall be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven.
The colonel may promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to ensure proper standards of skill. Said rules and regulations shall conform to the provisions of chapter thirty A.
 
Sbh87 said:
This is the MGL that gives University and College Police their powers. All campus police have full police powers on property owned, leased and rented by the college. And full powers on property that directly surrounds the campus (which interestingly enough stemmed from a BU case back in the 90's).

Chapter 22C: Section 63 Employees of colleges, universities, other educational institutions and hospitals; appointment as special officers
Section 63. The colonel may, upon such reasonable terms and conditions as may be prescribed by him, at the request of an officer of a college, university, other educational institution or hospital licensed pursuant to section fifty-one of chapter one hundred and eleven, appoint employees of such college, university, other educational institution or hospital as special state police officers. Such special state police officers shall serve for three years, subject to removal by the colonel, and they shall have the same power to make arrests as regular police officers for any criminal offense committed in or upon lands or structures owned, used or occupied by such college, university, or other institution or hospital.
Each application for appointment as a special state police officer or a renewal thereof shall be accompanied by a fee, the amount of which shall be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven.
The colonel may promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to ensure proper standards of skill. Said rules and regulations shall conform to the provisions of chapter thirty A.
Click to expand...

that statute is for criminal offense. the issue here is a civil infraction.
 
LenS said:
Based on what happened when a PD gave out books to another LE agency (Sheriffs Dept IIRC), it hit the fan in a very big way.

It would be political suicide for BPD to give BUPD any books.

The college PDs print their own tickets. They look real, but they can't bring you to court or impose the fines on anyone that isn't directly affiliated with the college as student/staff.
Click to expand...

Again Len, please read what I wrote, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT CHAPT 90, I am talking parking tickets. Why wouldn't the City of Boston (BOSTON PARKING AUTHORITY, not BPD) happily let BUPD issue "real" PARKING TICKETS? Whether they do or do not I don't know, but it doesn't seem like a stretch that BUPD maybe able to write "real" Boston Parking tickets...
 
Sbh87 said:
This is the MGL that gives University and College Police their powers. All campus police have full police powers on property owned, leased and rented by the college. And full powers on property that directly surrounds the campus (which interestingly enough stemmed from a BU case back in the 90's).

Chapter 22C: Section 63 Employees of colleges, universities, other educational institutions and hospitals; appointment as special officers
Section 63. The colonel may, upon such reasonable terms and conditions as may be prescribed by him, at the request of an officer of a college, university, other educational institution or hospital licensed pursuant to section fifty-one of chapter one hundred and eleven, appoint employees of such college, university, other educational institution or hospital as special state police officers. Such special state police officers shall serve for three years, subject to removal by the colonel, and they shall have the same power to make arrests as regular police officers for any criminal offense committed in or upon lands or structures owned, used or occupied by such college, university, or other institution or hospital.
Each application for appointment as a special state police officer or a renewal thereof shall be accompanied by a fee, the amount of which shall be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven.
The colonel may promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to ensure proper standards of skill. Said rules and regulations shall conform to the provisions of chapter thirty A.
Click to expand...


SSPO grants power on the property.

Deputy Sheriff grants power in the county. No Chapter 90 power is granted to sheriffs.
 
Just a big thanks to everyone for the great info on this thread. Agree or disagree I learned something from everyone's posts.

The most important thing I learned is how much power campus police really do have. That is important to know.

And I'm glad that I was polite and respectful, as always, even though I was incorrectly skeptical of his powers at the time. Better to be safe than sorry.

Best,

Rich
 
Double parking gets you a ticket.. what can you do?? When i was an EMT, we used to park in Kenmore square, I can't tell you how many tickets we got..[laugh]
 
securityboy said:
Again Len, please read what I wrote, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT CHAPT 90, I am talking parking tickets. Why wouldn't the City of Boston (BOSTON PARKING AUTHORITY, not BPD) happily let BUPD issue "real" PARKING TICKETS? Whether they do or do not I don't know, but it doesn't seem like a stretch that BUPD maybe able to write "real" Boston Parking tickets...
Click to expand...
Can you get a parking ticket when you're still in your car and not technically "parked"?...
 
NWanner said:
Can you get a parking ticket when you're still in your car and not technically "parked"?...
Click to expand...

I don't know if there is any exclusion for an occupied vehicle in the Boston Parking Authorities regulations, but my guess is certain parking offenses in Boston are offenses whether or not the vehicle is occupied most are probably covered by a blanket offence of "standing".
EDIT: not one to just sit around for others to answer questions, I found Boston's parking violation fee schedule on line, and sure enough there are a variety of "standing" violations...but as for below I still have no clue if B.P.A. allows BUPD to issue "real" boston parking tickets...

I'll admit my guilt in "thread drift" my comments regarding parking tickets weren't specificly directed at the original post (invovling and occupied vehicle), they were directed at Len's assertion that any ticket you get from BUPD basicly isn't "real". I hoped to he may have something to back that up, because as I stated its not that big of a stretch that Boston Parking Authority might let BUPD issue real tickets, as its "free $$$" for the city (BU pays the cops, boston gets the ticket $$$). And again I DO NOT know either way...
 
Last edited:
securityboy said:
Again Len, please read what I wrote, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT CHAPT 90, I am talking parking tickets. Why wouldn't the City of Boston (BOSTON PARKING AUTHORITY, not BPD) happily let BUPD issue "real" PARKING TICKETS? Whether they do or do not I don't know, but it doesn't seem like a stretch that BUPD maybe able to write "real" Boston Parking tickets...
Click to expand...

Last I knew PDs use "books" of parking tickets as well as "books" of moving violations (very different "books").

I wasn't addressing Ch. 90 either, but my statement stands in both matters (books).

securityboy said:
. . . but as for below I still have no clue if B.P.A. allows BUPD to issue "real" boston parking tickets...

I'll admit my guilt in "thread drift" my comments regarding parking tickets weren't specificly directed at the original post (invovling and occupied vehicle), they were directed at Len's assertion that any ticket you get from BUPD basicly isn't "real". I hoped to he may have something to back that up, because as I stated its not that big of a stretch that Boston Parking Authority might let BUPD issue real tickets, as its "free $$$" for the city (BU pays the cops, boston gets the ticket $$$). And again I DO NOT know either way...
Click to expand...

I do know that a very large university that I worked at issued parking citations, but they were NOT BPD citations. I asked about their "authority" and the info I posted was the response by the Lt. who prosecutes cases for the university.

It's really a political issue more than anything else as to why the citation books are not shared with any other organized PD. For whatever political reason, the ticket books are coveted in a weird way. I can't explain the rationale, but if you look at MassCops you get a flavor about the rivalries between different segments of LE . . . it's kinda like getting the hunters or shotgunners to see that people who CCW or shoot EBRs should have the same rights and protections as hunters.
 
Really not trying to beat a dead horse, but Len, seriously I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT BOSTON POLICE, I AM TALKING ABOUT BOSTON PARKING AUTHORITY (you know the "meter maids").
LenS said:
Last I knew PDs use "books" of parking tickets as well as "books" of moving violations (very different "books").
Click to expand...
Yes, actually I have three books in my bag of tricks at work: chpt 90, parking, and the new "weed" book...
LenS said:
For whatever political reason, the ticket books are coveted in a weird way.
Click to expand...
I agree 100% with you on that for chpt 90, but not so much parking authority books. Now back to this for a second:
LenS said:
Based on what happened when a PD gave out books to another LE agency (Sheriffs Dept IIRC), it hit the fan in a very big way. It would be political suicide for BPD to give BUPD any books.
Click to expand...
Totality of circumstance, BU falls (I believe) completely within the jursidiction of "Boston", so if BPD gave BUPD a Chpt 90 book, BUPD would only be writing tickets in BOSTON. That is APPLES to ORANGES different, than "TOWN A" giving "the county" a chapt 90 book, when "the county" could then use that book to write cites in not just "TOWN A" but TOWNS B, C, D, ETC So while I doubt BPD would give BUPD a chpt 90 book, it is a much different and much less politicly volitile situation than giving a book to a sheriffs dept...
 
Totality of circumstance, BU falls (I believe) completely within the jursidiction of "Boston", so if BPD gave BUPD a Chpt 90 book, BUPD would only be writing tickets in BOSTON. That is APPLES to ORANGES different, than "TOWN A" giving "the county" a chapt 90 book, when "the county" could then use that book to write cites in not just "TOWN A" but TOWNS B, C, D, ETC So while I doubt BPD would give BUPD a chpt 90 book, it is a much different and much less politicly volitile situation than giving a book to a sheriffs dept...
Click to expand...

That's simply speculation at best.
 
Can't we all just get along???

As the OP I've vote for the end of this one. We're splitting hairs at this point, and I do believe we have the correct answers to the original question.

Anyone second the motion to close???

[grin]
 
NWanner said:
I said speculation at best. At worst it could be taken as misinformation the way it was worded.
Click to expand...

What information (or misinformation) am I even giving in this quote, it is an "apples to oranges" analogy, as a reply to a statement by Len??? I don't see how it could be read any other way than a simple analogy...

securityboy said:
LenS said:
Based on what happened when a PD gave out books to another LE agency (Sheriffs Dept IIRC), it hit the fan in a very big way.
Click to expand...
Totality of circumstance, BU falls (I believe) completely within the jursidiction of "Boston", so if BPD gave BUPD a Chpt 90 book, BUPD would only be writing tickets in BOSTON. That is APPLES to ORANGES different, than "TOWN A" giving "the county" a chapt 90 book, when "the county" could then use that book to write cites in not just "TOWN A" but TOWNS B, C, D, ETC So while I doubt BPD would give BUPD a chpt 90 book, it is a much different and much less politicly volitile situation than giving a book to a sheriffs dept...
Click to expand...

PS. I "third" the motion to close...
 
I don't know how it works at BU, but I go to Umass Amherst and the Umass police are not just some random university police force; they are actual cops. They have jurisdiction over the campus and the town of Amherst itself, and can do anything a "real cop" can do because they are "real cops".
 
EcHo said:
I don't know how it works at BU, but I go to Umass Amherst and the Umass police are not just some random university police force; they are actual cops. They have jurisdiction over the campus and the town of Amherst itself, and can do anything a "real cop" can do because they are "real cops".
Click to expand...

There is a bit of a difference, in layman's terms BU is a private college, UMASS is a state school. BUPD is a "private" police dept, UMASS is a "public" agency (as it relates to the original post, PD's at state schools do have chpt 90 powers AND books).
 
One real difference....

Police officers working in PD's at non-govt entities (private schools, railroads and any other instrumentality where the PD is state certified as "real police") are not covered by LEOSA which requires that one be employed by a state, federal or local government or subsidiary thereof. During the time period of 1994-2004, said police departments were not allowed to buy > 10 round mags as the AW bad had a similar definition. I mentioned this to a friend in a private department who was skeptical, but he asked his boss, who referred it to corporate counsel who then contacted the BATF requesting a clarification that they were covered by the LE exemption. The BATF issued a letter to the department explaining that they were not exempt from the ban, after which my buddy asked me to be on the lookout for high cap mags for his gun at shows (yes, we found some).
 
Last edited:
Rob Boudrie said:
One real difference....

Police officers working in PD's at non-govt entities (private schools, railroads and any other instrumentality where the PD is state certified as "real police") are not covered by LEOSA which requires that one be employed by a state, federal or local government or subsidiary thereof. During the time period of 1992-2004, said police departments were not allowed to buy > 10 round mags as the AW bad had a similar definition. I mentioned this to a friend in a private department who was skeptical, but he asked his boss, who referred it to corporate counsel who then contacted the BATF requesting a clarification that they were covered by the LE exemption. The BATF issued a letter to the department explaining that they were not exempt from the ban, after which my buddy asked me to be on the lookout for high cap mags for his gun at shows (yes, we found some).
Click to expand...

a little OT, but along the same line... When I see the brinks guys carrying M&P's I have wanted to ask if they have ten round mags.
 

Similar threads

Boston Police Officer Shot
Replies
21
Views
707
Dennis in MA
Dennis in MA
Video: Female University of Chicago Student Disarms Would-Be Robber by Ejecting His Magazine
Replies
18
Views
397
Masswhole
Masswhole
LTC PD Boston 😔
Replies
8
Views
284
M1911
M1911
Philadelphia end of Ramadan event shooting: Police say 3 injured, 5 arrested
Replies
1
Views
80
LakeTrout
L
Illegals get guns, and badges and arrest powers.
2 3
Replies
70
Views
2K
dcmdon
dcmdon
Back
Top Bottom