The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that university police officers cannot make arrests off campus on July 7.
The court’s opinion came after reviewing a case where a North Dakota State University police officer arrested an 18-year-old off campus for driving under the influence last year.
The state Department of Transportation had argued the arrest was within the campus police officer’s jurisdiction because of a memorandum of understanding between city police and NDSU police that granted the university police department authority everywhere in the city.
But the memorandum was never approved by the state Board of Higher Education, so the court ruled university officers can only make arrests off campus to provide “temporary assistance and exchange of officers in unique situations and not on an ongoing basis” according to grandforksherald.com.
The court’s decision reverses the decision that a district court judge had previously made and changes the way NDSU, the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State College of Science have been policing. It will not affect people who have already pleaded guilty to charges that came from university police.
