2021 Georgia Code
Title 20 - Education
Chapter 8 - Campus Policemen
§ 20-8-2. Law Enforcement Powers
On the campus of an educational facility, a campus policeman employed by such educational facility who is certified in accordance with Code Section 20-8-3 and when authorized by the governing body or authority of such educational facility shall have the same law enforcement powers, including the power of arrest, as a law enforcement officer of the local government with police jurisdiction over such campus.
(Ga. L. 1977, p. 1160, § 2; Ga. L. 1979, p. 1323, § 1.)
Cross references.- Campus police of the university system, § 20-3-72.
JUDICIAL DECISIONS
Complaint sufficiently stated claim.
- Trial court's denial of the defendant's motion to dismiss was affirmed as to the plaintiff's claim against a college employing three police officers because when the complaint's allegations were construed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff; the college failed to establish that the plaintiff could not possibly present evidence that the campus police officers were acting under the direction of the college at the time of the officers' allegedly tortious conduct. Agnes Scott College, Inc. v. Hartley, 330 Ga. App. 575, 768 S.E.2d 767 (2015), cert. denied, 2015 Ga. LEXIS 335 (Ga. 2015).
Records of private university's police force.
- Records of a campus police force of a private university were not subject to disclosure under the Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq., as the university was a private institution that did not receive any funding from the state, the campus police were employees of that entity pursuant to the authority of O.C.G.A. § 20-8-2, and the fact that the police performed a public function did not make their records into public records; the fact that the campus police were given authority to perform certain functions by the Campus Policemen Act, O.C.G.A. § 20-8-1 et seq., and the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Act, O.C.G.A. § 35-8-1 et seq., did not make them officers or employees of a public office or agency for purposes of the Open Records Act. The Corp. of Mercer Univ. v. Barrett & Farahany, L.L.P., 271 Ga. App. 501, 610 S.E.2d 138 (2005).
Officer with college police had no right to appear before grand jury.
- Trial court did not err in finding that the defendant, who was an officer with a college police department, was not entitled to be present and make a statement pursuant to O.C.G.A. §§ 17-7-52(a) and45-11-4 when the officer's case was presented to the grand jury because the indictment did not allege that the crimes occurred while the defendant was performing the defendant's duties; the defendant was not on campus as defined by O.C.G.A. § 20-8-1(1), and the record did not show that the defendant's official duties as a campus police officer included the commission of the acts at issue, while the defendant was off duty and engaged in leisure activities outside of the defendant's jurisdiction. Worthy v. State, 307 Ga. App. 297, 704 S.E.2d 808 (2010).
Cited in Tabor v. State, 203 Ga. App. 60, 416 S.E.2d 138 (1992).
