<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>80452</law_id><section_number>23.1-815</section_number><catch_line>Campus police forces and auxiliary police forces; powers and duties; jurisdiction</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>23.1-818</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="23.1">Institutions of Higher Education; Other Educational and Cultural Institutions</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Students and Campus</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="8">Health and Campus Safety</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="3">Campus Safety; Campus Police Departments</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> As used in this section:
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Campus</span>&#x201D; means (i) any building or property owned or controlled by an institution of higher education located within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner relating to, the institution&#x2019;s educational purposes, including residence halls, and (ii) any building or property that is within or reasonably contiguous to the area described in clause (i) that is owned by the institution but controlled by another person, is frequently used by students, and supports institutional purposes, such as a food or other retail vendor.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Noncampus building or property</span>&#x201D; means (i) any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by an institution of higher education or (ii) any building or property owned or controlled by an institution of higher education that is used in direct support of, or in relation to, the institution&#x2019;s educational purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Public property</span>&#x201D; means all <span class="dictionary">public property</span>, including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities, that is within the <span class="dictionary">campus</span>, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the <span class="dictionary">campus</span>. <a id="paragraph-288194" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-815/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> A <span class="dictionary">campus</span> police officer appointed as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Appointment of campus police officers and members of an auxiliary police force" href="/23.1-812/">23.1-812</a> or a member of an auxiliary police force appointed and activated pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Establishment of auxiliary police forces" href="/23.1-811/">23.1-811</a> and <a class="law" title="Appointment of campus police officers and members of an auxiliary police force" href="/23.1-812/">23.1-812</a> shall be deemed police officers of localities who may exercise the powers and duties conferred by <span class="dictionary">law</span> upon such police officers, including the provisions of Chapters 5 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="When search warrant may issue" href="/19.2-52/">19.2-52</a> et seq.), 7 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Who may issue process of arrest" href="/19.2-71/">19.2-71</a> et seq.), and 23 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Exchange to operate as a division of Department of State Police; authority of Superintendent of State Police" href="/19.2-387/">19.2-387</a> et seq.) of Title 19.2, (i) upon any property owned or controlled by the <span class="dictionary">public institution of higher education</span> or <span class="dictionary">private institution of higher education</span>, or, upon request, any property owned or controlled by another <span class="dictionary">public institution of higher education</span> or <span class="dictionary">private institution of higher education</span>, and upon the streets, sidewalks, and highways immediately adjacent to any such property; (ii) pursuant to a mutual aid agreement (a) as provided for in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Reciprocal agreements with localities outside the Commonwealth" href="/15.2-1727/">15.2-1727</a> or (b) between the <span class="dictionary">governing board</span> of a <span class="dictionary">public institution of higher education</span> or <span class="dictionary">private institution of higher education</span> and another <span class="dictionary">public institution of higher education</span> or <span class="dictionary">private institution of higher education</span> in the Commonwealth or an adjacent political subdivision; (iii) in close pursuit of a person as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Escape, flight and pursuit; arrest anywhere in Commonwealth" href="/19.2-77/">19.2-77</a>; and (iv) upon approval by the appropriate <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> of a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> by the local governing body for concurrent <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> in designated areas with the police officers of the locality in which the institution, its satellite campuses, or other properties are located. The local governing body may only <span class="dictionary">petition</span> the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> for such concurrent <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> pursuant to a request by the local <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency. <a id="paragraph-288195" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-815/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Each <span class="dictionary">public institution of higher education</span> and <span class="dictionary">private institution of higher education</span> that establishes a <span class="dictionary">campus</span> police force pursuant to this article shall enter into and become a <span class="dictionary">party</span> to a mutual aid agreement with an adjacent local <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency or the Department of State Police for the use of their regular and auxiliary joint forces, equipment, and <span class="dictionary">materials</span> when needed in the investigation of any <span class="dictionary">felony</span> criminal sexual <span class="dictionary">assault</span> or medically unattended death occurring on property owned or controlled by such institution or any death resulting from an incident occurring on such property. Such mutual aid agreements shall include provisions requiring either the <span class="dictionary">campus</span> police force or the agency with which it has established a mutual aid agreement pursuant to this subsection, in the event that such police force or agency conducts an investigation that involves a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> criminal sexual <span class="dictionary">assault</span> as set forth in Article 7 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rape" href="/18.2-61/">18.2-61</a> et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2 occurring on <span class="dictionary">campus</span>, in or on a <span class="dictionary">noncampus building or property</span>, or on <span class="dictionary">public property</span>, to notify the local attorney for the Commonwealth of such investigation within 48 hours of beginning such investigation. No such notification provision shall require a <span class="dictionary">campus</span> police force or the agency with which it has established a mutual aid agreement to disclose identifying information about the victim. Nothing in this section prohibits a <span class="dictionary">campus</span> police force or auxiliary police force from requesting assistance from any appropriate <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency of the Commonwealth with which the institution has not entered into a mutual aid agreement. <a id="paragraph-288196" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-815/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Each <span class="dictionary">public institution of higher education</span> and <span class="dictionary">nonprofit <span class="dictionary">private institution of higher education</span></span> that (i) has not established a <span class="dictionary">campus</span> police force or auxiliary police force pursuant to this article and (ii) has a security department, relies on local or state police forces, or <span class="dictionary">contracts</span> for security services from private parties pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Security departments and other security services" href="/23.1-818/">23.1-818</a> shall enter into and become a <span class="dictionary">party</span> to a <span class="dictionary">memorandum</span> of understanding with an adjacent local <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency or the Department of State Police (the Department) to require either such local <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency or the Department, in the event that such agency or the Department conducts an investigation that involves a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> criminal sexual <span class="dictionary">assault</span> as set forth in Article 7 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rape" href="/18.2-61/">18.2-61</a> et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2 occurring on <span class="dictionary">campus</span>, in or on a <span class="dictionary">noncampus building or property</span>, or on <span class="dictionary">public property</span>, to notify the local attorney for the Commonwealth of such investigation within 48 hours of beginning such investigation. No such notification provision shall require the <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency or the Department to disclose identifying information about the victim. <a id="paragraph-288197" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-815/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> All mutual aid agreements and memoranda of understanding entered into pursuant to this section shall specify the procedure for sharing information. <a id="paragraph-288198" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/23.1-815/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1977, c. 79, &#xA7; 23-234; 1985, c. 386; 1991, c. 711; 1992, c. 187; 2002, c. 97; 2012, cc. 282, 450; 2015, c. 707; 2016, cc. 513, 571, 588.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
