ecpd402 said:
The reason why people view us a security is lack of knowledge. Most people do not know that colleges have their own police department. Also in the early days of campus policing their was no formal training I.E. SSPO academy so the local police viewed us as security. Another reason is that college administrators call the campus police differant names such as Pulic Safety or Protection. A non LEO would think thats just a fancy name for security. My final reason is that in massachusetts Campus Police Departments are not getting the respect they deserve. (Im also including our brothers and sisters in hospital campus police.) When the general public or other municipal police departments see the campus police that are not armed the first thing that goes off in their head is "No Gun Security." I think Campus Police needs more backing from the State to get the respect it deserves. Massachusetts just built a police officers memorial. I looked on the website and noticed that it does not mention the campus police are allowed in the memorial. Now in Washington DC the national law enforcement memorial Campus and hospital police are included. Its the simple misconception that Campus police work for a college and not a town that mistakes us for security. Hope this helps
Ide like to take this one step further:
I have come to the realization that Campus Police are viewed as security for the following reasons.
Most CPD's chief's have to deal with a "Boss" who 98% of the time dont give a care about police work. How many Police Departments are run by a Board of Trustees?
Most CPD's perform the same duties as Security Guards such as, Sitting Post, Locking Doors, Detex Checks Ect.
the main difference in CPD's (Who do not run Deputy Powers) is that we infact DO NOT have a duty to act. Although probly against our morals, by law we do not have a duty to act in ANY circumstances "I dont know if that includes medical situations but I can find out easy enough". There will be no legal liability to the officer if he/she refuses to say respond to a person getting mugged or raped.
Furthermore, Should a Municipal Police officer come into a Civil Liability Issue such as a Bad Arrest, They will/should be protected under (I Believe this is the name) the Good samaritan act. If a campus Police officer comes into the same situation, the college can and would probly be sued.
Finaly, what police officers in the country have been denied the right to make motor vehicle stops? ... State College Officers excluded
There are a number of reasons why they differ and why the perceptions are there If you use your common knowlege im sure you can think of a number of other reasons.