Kentucky Statutes 164.955 – Police officers — Powers and duties
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(1) Police officers so appointed shall be peace officers and conservators of the peace.
They shall have general police powers including the power to arrest, without process, all persons who within their view commit any crime or misdemeanor. They shall possess all of the common law and statutory powers, privileges, and immunities of sheriffs, except that they shall be empowered to serve civil process to the extent authorized by the employing governing board of the respective public postsecondary education institution employing them. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such police officers are hereby specifically authorized and empowered, and it shall be their duty:
(a) To preserve the peace, maintain order and prevent unlawful use of force or violence or other unlawful conduct on the campuses of their respective institutions, and to protect all persons and property located thereon from injury, harm and damage; and
(b) To enforce, and to assist the officials of their respective institutions in the enforcement of, the lawful rules and regulations of said institution, and to assist and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies and officers. Provided, however, that such police officers shall exercise the powers herein granted upon any real property owned or occupied by their respective institutions, including the streets passing through and adjacent thereto. Said powers may be exercised in any county of the Commonwealth where the institution owns, uses, or occupies property. Additional jurisdiction may be established by agreement with the chief of police of the municipality or sheriff of the county or the appropriate law enforcement agency in which such property is located, dependent upon the jurisdiction involved.
(2) Police officers may exercise their powers away from the locations described in subsection (1) of this section only upon the following conditions:
(a) When in immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law;
(b) When authorized to do so pursuant to the agreement authorized by subsection
(1) of this section;
(c) When requested to act by the chief of police of the city or county in which the institution’s property is located;
(d) When requested to act by the sheriff of the county in which the institution’s property is located;
(e) When requested to act by the commissioner of the Department of Kentucky
State Police;
(f) When requested to act by the authorized delegates of those persons or agencies listed in paragraph (c), (d), or (e) of this subsection;
(g) When requested to assist a state, county or municipal police officer, sheriff, or other peace officer in the performance of his lawful duties; or
(h) When operating under an interlocal cooperation agreement pursuant to KRS Chapter 65.
(3) Police officers appointed pursuant to KRS § 164.950 to KRS § 164.980 shall have, in
addition to the other powers enumerated herein, the power to conduct investigations anywhere in this Commonwealth, provided the investigation relates to criminal offenses which occurred on property owned, leased, or controlled by the public postsecondary education institution. Where desirable and at the discretion of the public postsecondary education institution’s police officials, the institution’s police department may coordinate said investigations with any law enforcement agency of this Commonwealth or with agencies of the federal government.
(4) Police departments created and operated by the governing boards of public postsecondary education institutions shall, for all purposes, be deemed public police departments and the sworn police officers thereof are, for all purposes, deemed public police officers.
(5) Nothing in KRS § 164.950 to KRS § 164.980 shall be construed as a diminution or modification of the authority or responsibility of any city or county police department, the Department of Kentucky State Police, sheriff, constable granted police powers, or other peace officer either on the property of an institution of postsecondary education or otherwise. Nor shall anything in KRS § 164.950 to
164.980 be construed as a diminution or modification of the authority or responsibility of any constable.
Effective: January 1, 2023
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 90, sec. 19, effective January 1, 2023. — Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 22, sec. 3, effective June 25, 2013. — Amended 2007
Ky. Acts ch. 85, sec. 174, effective June 26, 2007. — Created 1972 Ky. Acts ch. 367, sec. 2.
They shall have general police powers including the power to arrest, without process, all persons who within their view commit any crime or misdemeanor. They shall possess all of the common law and statutory powers, privileges, and immunities of sheriffs, except that they shall be empowered to serve civil process to the extent authorized by the employing governing board of the respective public postsecondary education institution employing them. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such police officers are hereby specifically authorized and empowered, and it shall be their duty:
Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 164.955
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- City: includes town. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Federal: refers to the United States. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- governing board: means the board of trustees for the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville, the board of regents for a comprehensive university, or the board of regents for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. See Kentucky Statutes 164.001
- Institution: means a university, college, community college, health technology center, vocational-technical school, technical institute, technical college, technology center, or the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. See Kentucky Statutes 164.001
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Public: means operated with state support. See Kentucky Statutes 164.001
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Sworn: includes "affirmed" in all cases in which an affirmation may be substituted for an oath. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
(a) To preserve the peace, maintain order and prevent unlawful use of force or violence or other unlawful conduct on the campuses of their respective institutions, and to protect all persons and property located thereon from injury, harm and damage; and
(b) To enforce, and to assist the officials of their respective institutions in the enforcement of, the lawful rules and regulations of said institution, and to assist and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies and officers. Provided, however, that such police officers shall exercise the powers herein granted upon any real property owned or occupied by their respective institutions, including the streets passing through and adjacent thereto. Said powers may be exercised in any county of the Commonwealth where the institution owns, uses, or occupies property. Additional jurisdiction may be established by agreement with the chief of police of the municipality or sheriff of the county or the appropriate law enforcement agency in which such property is located, dependent upon the jurisdiction involved.
(2) Police officers may exercise their powers away from the locations described in subsection (1) of this section only upon the following conditions:
(a) When in immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law;
(b) When authorized to do so pursuant to the agreement authorized by subsection
(1) of this section;
(c) When requested to act by the chief of police of the city or county in which the institution’s property is located;
(d) When requested to act by the sheriff of the county in which the institution’s property is located;
(e) When requested to act by the commissioner of the Department of Kentucky
State Police;
(f) When requested to act by the authorized delegates of those persons or agencies listed in paragraph (c), (d), or (e) of this subsection;
(g) When requested to assist a state, county or municipal police officer, sheriff, or other peace officer in the performance of his lawful duties; or
(h) When operating under an interlocal cooperation agreement pursuant to KRS Chapter 65.
(3) Police officers appointed pursuant to KRS § 164.950 to KRS § 164.980 shall have, in
addition to the other powers enumerated herein, the power to conduct investigations anywhere in this Commonwealth, provided the investigation relates to criminal offenses which occurred on property owned, leased, or controlled by the public postsecondary education institution. Where desirable and at the discretion of the public postsecondary education institution’s police officials, the institution’s police department may coordinate said investigations with any law enforcement agency of this Commonwealth or with agencies of the federal government.
(4) Police departments created and operated by the governing boards of public postsecondary education institutions shall, for all purposes, be deemed public police departments and the sworn police officers thereof are, for all purposes, deemed public police officers.
(5) Nothing in KRS § 164.950 to KRS § 164.980 shall be construed as a diminution or modification of the authority or responsibility of any city or county police department, the Department of Kentucky State Police, sheriff, constable granted police powers, or other peace officer either on the property of an institution of postsecondary education or otherwise. Nor shall anything in KRS § 164.950 to
164.980 be construed as a diminution or modification of the authority or responsibility of any constable.
Effective: January 1, 2023
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 90, sec. 19, effective January 1, 2023. — Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 22, sec. 3, effective June 25, 2013. — Amended 2007
Ky. Acts ch. 85, sec. 174, effective June 26, 2007. — Created 1972 Ky. Acts ch. 367, sec. 2.