HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2048        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 629

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Daniel Cahill

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the public safety on urban college campuses.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2048        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 629

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act relative to the public safety on urban college campuses.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Definitions:

“College or university”, under this Act shall mean any campus or other property of an educational institution of higher learning within the commonwealth of Massachusetts, excluding any college or university under the control of the Trustees of the University of Massachusetts, that is located within the City of Boston and/or any other community located within the City of Boston side of the geographic area bordered by Route 495, and has an aggregate student population matriculating in undergraduate and graduate programs of at least ten thousand.

“Police Officer”, under this Act shall mean any person employed on a full-time basis by a covered college or university as a police officer, who has been assigned to and has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study approved by the municipal police training committee or its equivalent, or the department of state police, and who is authorized to carry high capacity weapons.

SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the trustees of any college or university covered by this section shall make rules and regulations for the control, movement and parking of vehicles on the campus or other property of the college or university, and may provide reasonable penalties for the violation of those rules and regulations. The trustees may appoint as police officers persons employed by the college or university who, in the enforcement of these rules and regulations throughout the campus or other property of the college or university shall have the powers of police officers granted by General Laws Chapter 90.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all fines and penalties recovered for violation of rules and regulations made under the authority of this section shall be accounted for by the clerk of the court and forwarded to the trustees of the college or university to be deposited in the scholarship trust fund of the college or university for scholarship purposes.

SECTION 3.  Not withstanding any general or special law to the contrary, police officers appointed by any college or university covered by this section, in connection with the operation of any part of the college or university within the limits of the campuses, its other properties or the environs thereof, may perform police duties under the direction of the commanding officer or the person in charge of such campus or other property.  While performing such duties within those limits, the police officers shall have the same authorities immunities and privileges as duly appointed and qualified police officers acting elsewhere in the commonwealth. 

SECTION 4.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any college or university covered by this section may enter into an agreement with any other college or university covered by this section, to provide mutual aid programs for their police departments to increase the capabilities of such departments to protect the lives, safety and property of the people in the area designated by the agreement.  The agreement may include the furnishing of personal services, supplies, materials, contractual services and equipment when the resources normally available to the colleges or universities covered thereby are not sufficient to cope with a situation that requires police action.  When providing such mutual aid, police officers shall have all the duties, authorities, immunities, and privileges granted to them by the colleges or universities that appointed them, including but not limited to the same duties, authorities, immunities and privileges as duly appointed and qualified police officers acting as such in the college or university where the mutual aid is being performed.

SECTION 5.  Notwithstanding any general or special law or regulation to the contrary, police officers covered by this Act and retired police officers shall be entitled to possession of a police identification card authorized under state and federal law under the same terms and conditions as municipal police officers.