Policy & Regulation

Chapter 02.09 - Public Safety

Regents' Policy  |  University Regulation

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REGENTS’ POLICY
PART II – ADMINISTRATION
Chapter 02.09 - Public Safety

P02.09.010. Public Safety Department; University of Alaska Police.

  1. There is hereby established the University of Alaska Department of Public Safety, which shall be known as the University of Alaska Police Department. Pursuant to AS 14.40.043, the department shall enforce state and local laws in connection with offenses committed on the property of the university. In this section, “department” means the University of Alaska Police Department. 
  2. The department shall have units located on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, and at such other university sites as the president may designate.
  3. The department may be comprised of commissioned and noncommissioned personnel. Only personnel eligible under Alaska Statutes and regulations of the Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC) and commissioned by the president may hold the positions of university public safety officer or university police officer and exercise police authority. For purposes of this subsection, "personnel eligible under Alaska Statutes and regulations of the Alaska Police Standards Council" includes persons who: 
    1. are eligible for, have applied for, and are awaiting notification of APSC certification; 
    2. have received prior APSC certification that has not been revoked;
    3. are exempt from certification under AS 18.65.280; or 
    4. are eligible for probationary employment under Alaska Statutes and regulations of the APSC. Unless their employment is earlier terminated, the probationary period for such probationary officers will be at least six months, but no more than allowed by Alaska Statutes and APSC regulations. If required by APSC regulations for any reason, such as failure to obtain a basic certificate by the applicable deadline, the officer’s employment will end. This section on probationary police officer employment supersedes any conflicting general employment provisions of regents’ policy or university regulation. 
  4. The department shall operate in accordance with university regulation.

(09-24-10)

P02.09.020. Possession of Weapons.

  1. Except as otherwise provided by this policy or university regulation, possession or carrying of firearms in buildings or parts of buildings owned or controlled by the university, on developed university land adjacent to university buildings, or at university sporting, entertainment or educational events, is a violation of regents’ policy and may result in administrative sanctions. Entering or remaining on university premises or at university events in violation of this provision is expressly prohibited. 
  2. This section shall not apply to a concealed handgun carried by a duly commissioned law enforcement officer in relation to the officer's law enforcement function or by a person expressly authorized by the president or appropriate chancellor in extraordinary circumstances. 
  3. The president may adopt university regulations governing possession of firearms, explosives or prohibited weapons that are consistent with or that provide exceptions to this policy.

(06-06-14)

P02.09.030. Traffic and Parking.

  1. The president is authorized to promulgate and enforce rules governing parking and traffic on university premises, and governing related forms and procedures including citations, hearings, penalties, and appeals. The president may delegate the authority to promulgate and enforce such rules. 
  2. The president is authorized to approve parking fee charges for the university campuses.

(02-17-95)

UNIVERSITY REGULATION
PART II – ADMINISTRATION
Chapter 02.09 - Public Safety

R02.09.010. Public Safety Department: University of Alaska Police.

  1. Organizational Structure 
    1. The University of Alaska Police Department shall have units at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 
    2. Each department unit will be organized in accordance with the Operation Procedure Manual in effect for that unit on May 12, 1992, or as it may thereafter be duly amended. 
    3. The director or chief of each department unit will report to the campus chancellor through the vice chancellor for administration or equivalent. 
    4. Each chancellor shall designate an appropriate body to serve in an advisory capacity to the local department. This body may be an existing campus safetyrelated committee or a new body established specifically for this purpose. The advisory committee shall include representation from students, faculty and staff, as well as any additional representation the campus chancellor deems appropriate. 
    5. Responsibility and authority for the systemwide coordination of the University of Alaska Police Department is vested in the vice president and general counsel. 
    6. The president, in consultation with the chancellors, will determine whether commissioned officers carry firearms in the course of performing their duties as law enforcement officers on university property. The decision will be made following consultation with representatives of appropriate constituent bodies, the local department director or chief, the office of the general counsel, and such others as the president deems appropriate. 
  2. Operation Procedure Manuals 
    1. Each local unit of the department will maintain and function in accordance with official operations procedures manuals. 
    2. Variations between departmental units' operation procedure manuals may be necessary to allow for local organizational considerations, but in all other respects the operation procedure manuals will be the same for each unit. 
    3. Existing operation procedure manuals may be amended and new operation procedure manuals may be adopted, subject to the approval of the campus chancellor and the vice president and general counsel of the university. 
  3. Mutual Aid Agreements The department is authorized to enter into written mutual aid agreements with other duly authorized law enforcement entities in the State of Alaska, provided such agreements are in the best interests of the university, and subject to the approval of the campus chancellor and the vice president and general counsel of the university. 
  4. Scope and Prioritization of Duties

    Campus police officers shall exercise his/her police authority in accordance with the following priorities, in the order of the most important to the least: 
    1. Offenses committed on the property of the university, including both real property and personal property, tangible and intangible, belonging to the university; 
    2. Responses to requests for assistance from other law enforcement agencies, to include both requests pursuant to duly approved Mutual Aid Agreements and requests made in exigent circumstances, to the extent that such requests can be accommodated without compromising the department’s capability to handle matters falling within priority (1); 
    3. Felony or misdemeanor arrests pursuant to a warrant or to Alaska Statute 12.25.030 in situations not falling within priorities (1) or (2) above, on an asencountered basis, where, in the officer’s judgment, a person’s health, safety, security or property is potentially jeopardized; 
    4. Violations under Title 28 of the Alaska Statutes not falling within the above priorities, on an as-encountered basis; 
    5. Other situations falling within police authority under state law, not falling within the above priorities, on an as-encountered basis;
    As used in this regulation, “on an as-encountered basis” means that the campus police officer, without affirmatively seeking out or patrolling for the situation, observes a situation, or has a situation brought to his/her attention, calling for law enforcement activity, and, in the officer’s judgment, the situation is not likely to be adequately or timely remedied by other law enforcement agencies, and the situation can be addressed without compromising the officer’s capacity to fulfill responsibilities falling into a higher priority.

    These priorities may be varied for a particular campus by written directive from the chancellor supervising that campus. Further particularization within these priorities, or more specific instructions for implementation of these priorities, may be set forth in the R02.09.010.B. Operation Procedure Manual for each unit within the department.

(04-28-16)

R02.09.020. Possession of Weapons.

  1.  Regents’ policy and university regulation regulating possession and storage of firearms shall not be construed to prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm while that individual is within a motor vehicle, or to prohibit an individual from storing a firearm that is locked in the individual’s motor vehicle while the motor vehicle is otherwise legally parked in or on university, state or municipal property or another person’s property. This applies only to possession of a firearm by an individual who may legally possess a firearm under state and federal law.
  2. Activities involving firearms, explosives and/or reloading activities may be carried on at the university only under supervised educational, recreational, professional or research programs where such activities are expressly authorized in advance by the appropriate chancellor or chancellor's designee. 
  3. Loaded or unloaded firearms may not be carried or stored on university property or in university buildings without the prior written permission of the appropriate chancellor or chancellor's designee, except for the following: 
    1. firearms being transported directly to or from an activity authorized under Section B. above; 
    2. firearms being transported directly to or from student or faculty and staff housing as authorized under Section D. below; 
    3. firearms carried by licensed security guards in uniform while performing services for the university; 
    4. firearms carried by commissioned law enforcement officers in relation to their law enforcement function; or
    5. on undeveloped and uninhabited investment property. 
  4. In order to balance the individual resident's right to bear arms with the university's compelling interest in providing a safe environment conducive to learning and the open exchange of ideas, the university permits the possession of firearms in residences subject to the following limitations: 
    1. Students bringing firearms into residential units are required to store their firearms in a central storeroom under the supervision of a designated university employee. Firearms, explosives and reloading activities are not permitted in resident rooms or apartments or in any common areas. 
    2. Faculty and staff residing on university property may possess firearms within the confines of their private residences. Firearms, explosives and reloading activities are not permitted on residential grounds or in any common areas. 
  5. The chancellor of each campus may adopt additional local provisions for implementation of this regulation. 
  6. Nothing in this regulation should be construed as authorizing the use of firearms, explosives or ammunition in violation of state or federal laws or regulations.

(02-23-10)