School Laws of Oklahoma

Chapter 12 - Safety and Security
Article VI: Oklahoma Campus Security Act

Section 1051. Oklahoma Campus Security Act. (74 O.S. § 360.15)

This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma Campus Security Act”.

Section 1052. Definitions. (74 O.S. § 360.16)

As used in the Oklahoma Campus Security Act:

1. “Campus” means the real property, buildings and other improvements within this state owned, leased or rented by an institution of higher education or a public school district;

2. “Campus police officer” means an individual holding a commission from and employed by an institution of higher education or a public school district pursuant to the Oklahoma Campus Security Act, who may also be known as a “campus public safety officer”;

3. “Commission” means a certificate of appointment by the governing board of an institution of higher education or a board of education of a public school district of an individual certified as a full-time police or peace officer pursuant to Section 3311 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

4. “Governing board” means the board of regents or trustees which determines management policy and has responsibility for the general government of an institution of higher education or the board of education of a public school district;

5. “Institution of higher education” means a college, university, higher educational center, or other constituent agency of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education or a private college or university in this state whose accreditation is recognized by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education pursuant to Section 4103 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes; and

6. “Public school district” means all free schools supported by public taxation and shall include K-12 schools and technology center schools.

Section 1053. Campus Police - Jurisdiction. (74 O.S. § 360.17)

A. The jurisdiction of campus police officers includes the campus and pursuant to an agreement authorized by this act, the highways, streets, roads, alleys, easements, and other public ways immediately adjacent to their campus and any other areas authorized by such agreement. This delineation of jurisdiction, however, shall not be understood as limiting the completion of any necessary enforcement activities which began within these jurisdictions and are in compliance with the agreements made with the municipality or county sheriff pursuant to this act. In the absence of an agreement, only those law enforcement activities which began on campus may be completed off campus and such activities with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction in that off campus area. In addition, a campus police officer shall have jurisdiction in other locations pursuant to an agreement authorized by this act. Such agreement may authorize the chief administrative officer of the law enforcement agency to request assistance pursuant to this act, shall have the same powers, liabilities, and immunities as sheriffs or police officers within their jurisdiction.

B. As limited by law, the provisions of this section, and the governing board, a CLEET certified campus police officer shall have the authority to enforce:

1. State criminal statutes;

2. Municipal ordinances, if authorized by an agreement with the municipality; and

3. Rules and regulations of the school or institution of higher education employing such campus police officer.

C. As limited by law, the provisions of this section, and the governing board, the campus police department shall have the same authority as a municipal police department.

D. Campus police departments formed by private institutions of higher education pursuant to this act shall be deemed to be public agencies in the State of Oklahoma for the limited purposes of enforcing the criminal statutes of Oklahoma and making agreements with local law enforcement agencies or political subdivisions of the state pursuant to this act.

A campus police officer acting within his capacity as a police officer may not validate an invalid arrest outside of his or her jurisdiction under the theory that it is a “citizen’s arrest,” however, such an arrest may be valid if it comports with the agreement between the city and the campus police. Simic v. State ex rel. Dept. of Public Safety, 2006 OK CIV APP 8, 129 P.3d 177

Absent appropriate contractual authorization according to the statue, an officer has no authority to complete enforcement activities outside his jurisdictional boundaries. Ward v. State ex rel. Dept. of Public Safety, 2006 OK CIV APP 1. 127 P.3d 643

School Laws of Oklahoma | Chapter 12 - Safety and Security | Article VI: Oklahoma Campus Security Act | Return to Top of Page

Section 1054. Authorization to Establish Campus Police Departments. (74 O.S. § 360.18)

A. Governing boards of institutions of higher education and boards of education of public school districts are authorized to establish campus police departments pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Campus Security Act. These boards may employ and commission campus police officers and may designate uniforms, badges and insignia to be worn by such officers and displayed on vehicles or other equipment of the department. Campus police departments shall use the following words or phrases, alone or in any combination, in conjunction with the uniform, badges, insignia, or on vehicles utilized by these departments: university police, university public safety department, campus police department, campus police officer, campus public safety department, campus public safety officer, or any standardized title such as director, chief, major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, or corporal. Upon appointment, each such officer shall be given a written commission, with a photo identification, evidencing the officer’s appointment and authority. The form of this commission shall be prescribed by the governing boards specified in this act. Persons employed by a governing board which has established a campus police department but who are not campus police officers shall not be permitted to wear uniforms, badges or insignia specified in this subsection or receive commissions or photo identification of the type provided campus police officers.

B. The commission of a campus police officer may be suspended or revoked by the governing board for any reason. Such commission also may be suspended or revoked by the district attorney in whose district the officer is employed for cause related to the campus police officer’s ability to exercise the powers of such commission in the interest of public security or suspended or revoked by the district attorney upon conviction of the campus police officer for larceny, theft embezzlement, false pretense, fraud, any nonconsensual sex offense, any offense involving a minor as a victim, any offense involving the possession, use, distribution or sale of a controlled dangerous substance, or any offense involving a firearm. The commission of a campus police officer convicted of a felony or of a crime involving moral turpitude shall be revoked by the district attorney upon conviction. The commission of a campus police officer no longer employed by the governing board, or its representative, at the time of cessation of said employment. When a commission is revoked or relinquished, the campus police department shall take possession of all campus police officer insignia, badges, identification cards and weapons issued to the officer. A person who fails to relinquish said insignia, badges, identification cards or weapons, upon conviction, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by the imposition of a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail for not to exceed one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

C. Governing boards shall notify the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) when an officer is commissioned or a commission is relinquished or revoked. The governing boards shall provide CLEET with all information regarding commissioned officers requested by CLEET.

D. A campus police officer employed pursuant to the Oklahoma Campus Security Act shall not be able to participate in either the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System or the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System, unless otherwise entitled to by law.

Section 1055. Other Law Enforcement and Security Personnel. (74 O.S. § 360.19)

Whether or not governing boards establish campus police departments pursuant to the Oklahoma Campus Security Act, nothing in this act shall be construed as prohibiting governing boards from:

1. Employing personnel licensed pursuant to the Oklahoma Security Guard and Private Investigator Act, Section 1750.1 et seq. of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes to be employed as campus security;

2. Contracting with municipalities to authorize their local municipal police department, or with retired commissioned police officers to provide security services; or

3. Providing courtesy patrols, watchmen, traffic control personnel or other persons for the performance of safety or security or security duties for which such personnel are trained.

Section 1056. Mutual Assistance Agreements. (74 O.S. § 360.20)

Municipalities and county sheriff departments having overlapping or concurrent jurisdiction with a proposed campus police department, may enter into agreements with the proposed campus police department recognizing jurisdictional boundaries and providing for mutual assistance. Any such agreements shall be executed by the governing boards of the educational institution and the governing body of the municipality or sheriff, and shall not serve to prevent other law enforcement agencies from having concurrent or overlapping jurisdiction. Nothing in this act or any action pursuant to this act shall be deemed to create an agent-principal relationship between any campus police officer and any municipality or county.

Section 1057. Miscellaneous Provisions. (74 O.S. § 360.21)

A. Criminal fines, penalties, fees or penalty assessments imposed by a municipal or district court pursuant to state law or municipal ordinance as the result of an arrest or a citation issued by an officer commissioned pursuant to this act shall be collected and distributed as required by law.

B. The district attorney of the district where the unlawful conduct is alleged to have taken place shall have authority to prosecute such offense upon complaint being signed by a campus police officer commissioned pursuant to this act. Any municipal ordinance offense shall be prosecuted in a municipal court.

C. A campus police department or any officer thereof enforcing state law or municipal ordinance as authorized by the Oklahoma Campus Security Act shall not be deemed to be acting under the authority of any political subdivision of the state, except the governing board establishing the department or commissioning the officer if such governing board is the governing board of an institution in The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education or is a school district.