A not-on-campus crime

[RHenriksen]

Good thing the campus police don't have to include this in their crime statistics, since it didn't happen ON campus; it's across the STREET from campus! Phew...

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2012/04 ... l-assault/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"...the student told police she was approached by three men wearing ski masks and was forced to go behind the gas station, where they attempted to sexually assault her, KTRK said. The student was able to fight off her assailants, who fled the scene."

[speedsix]

...what jurisdiction or authority do college police forces have OFF CAMPUS??? why isn't HPD doing the investigation since it IS their jurisdiction and they DO have authority where it took place???

[RHenriksen]

I was wondering the same thing.

[Teamless]

...what jurisdiction or authority do college police forces have OFF CAMPUS???

I live near University of Houston, Clear Lake.
I frequently see UHCL cops pulling cars over on non-University roads.
Now, did their infraction start on the UHCL roads? I can't answer that.

[speedsix]

...interesting...even with a campus parking sticker, maybe someone who knows will enlighten us...

[lama]

As I understand it from speaking with the police cheif of my college a few years ago campus cops have pretty broad juresdiction as long as a student of the school is involved they can step in. Sorry suck at typing on my phone.

[n5wd]

...what jurisdiction or authority do college police forces have OFF CAMPUS??? why isn't HPD doing the investigation since it IS their jurisdiction and they DO have authority where it took place???

IIRC if they're a certified peace officer (as opposed to a rent-a-cop security guard), then they have the same rights and privileges as any cop who's outside of their jurisdiction - they can arrest if they view a crime.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Related to "jurisdiction" authority, I saw an episode of "Cops" or somesuch, where a Texas DPS trooper
followed a violator onto the violator's home property.

The man was resisting the lawful commands of the trooper and told him "You don't have any authority
to be on my property!"

The trooper yelled back at him "The entire state of Texas is my jurisdiction!".

I thought this was a pretty accurate, and funny, response to the violator's assertion.

Was roaming around the "Cops" website to try and find the video clip, but gave up.

I don't know where in the Lone Star this happened, but if anyone remembers this episode, the violator's
wife goes to her husband's car and retrieves, then hides some weed. She did this while the trooper was
occupied with her husband. The violator had a Camaro or Firebird, IIRC.

SIA

[srothstein]

...what jurisdiction or authority do college police forces have OFF CAMPUS???

Any peace officer in Texas has full authority anywhere in the county he is commissioned in. A city or county officer has full authority outside of his county for everything except traffic tickets. Nothing in the law mentions any limit on other types of officers writing tickets anywhere else. The only other limit on their authority is that an officer outside his jurisdiction must turn an arrested person over to an officer with jurisdiction as soon as possible.

And to confuse you even more consider the following two points:

1. Nothing in the law defines what is meant by an officer's jurisdiction. From the wording, it appears to place some geographical limit on where an officer normally works.

2. University of Houston is a state agency. Their officers are actually state employees with statewide jurisdiction.

why isn't HPD doing the investigation since it IS their jurisdiction and they DO have authority where it took place???

While HPD would be the normal agency to handle this, both agencies (as well as Harris County SO) have the legal authority. And professional courtesy would normally allow the first agency to decide whether or not to handle it or turn it over. In a case like this, I would think the university would turn it over to HPD for follow-up, but their officers got to the scene first, so they told the media about it.

[speedsix]

...Texas is getting a lot of bang for their buck that way...I'd never heard any of that before...thanks...

[Oldgringo]

I definitely do not intend to make light of a very serious, and perhaps deadly, situation; however, this coed fought off three (3) masked, perhaps white, attackers causing them to di di mau out from behind the fillin' station.

She's my kind of woman! I need her lookin' after my six...that's for sure.