Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
You're correct. The conservation officers in Indiana have the same jurisdiction as the Indiana state Police. They have statewide jurisdiction and they can initiate traffic stops and perform routine police tasks although that isn't their main function. It is not uncommon for rural Indiana folks calling 911 to get a response from a conservation officer or a State Trooper before a county officer. At least it was that way when I lived there a little over a year ago.
Going "off the reservation" is generally frowned upon around here. Everyone has their own little responsibilities, and infringing on someone else's turf is considered bad form, unless it's a mutual aid request. In California, local law enforcement will almost never pull someone over for speeding on the freeway since that's for the California Highway Patrol. Legal highways that aren't freeways are a different story.
I've heard of quite a bit of this. One was a pair of National Park Service law enforcement rangers who arrested someone for pot possession outside of the park boundaries. When friends showed up asking what they were doing, they got pepper sprayed. It became big news, and later the county sheriff cleared up that while they were deputized by the sheriff to enforce local and state laws, the intent was that it was only for enforcement while on NPS property.
There was a school district police department in the Sacramento area that got in trouble for "call jumping" city police and county sheriff emergency calls. They also apparently made a lot of traffic stops and vehicle tows well off school property. They apparently wanted more action, and entered into a contract with a park district to provide law enforcement services. They took the "School District" part of their name off, which no other school district police does in California. The chief of police and sheriff were talking about disbanding the force and replacing them with local law enforcement.
One I'm very familiar with is University of California Police. Legally they have primary jurisdiction on campus property and up to one mile from campus property. However, they don't typically infringe on city police and/or county sheriffs and have memorandums that delineate a more specific primary jurisdiction as well as when they can deviate. The city police won't typically do enforcement on campus and the university police won't do that off campus. It specifies that they call in to report something and the primary will handle it unless help is requested. The memorandum also specifies a joint patrol area.
I know that in certain rural areas, law enforcement can be pretty sparse and local law enforcement may come to understandings that other state peace officers aid the in their regular duties like traffic stops.
Interesting. I know in Indiana the state police and Conservation officers have state wide jurisdiction so it's no infringement on local or county law enforcement if they take a domestic call in a town because they are closer and able to respond. Most countries in Indiana have allotted state troopers and Conservation officers whose job is to also assist local law enforcement officers as well as providing safety on Indiana's highways and wildlife service.
Living in Ohio now it seems that the highway patrol does nothing other than matters concerning the interstates and state highways. I'm interested to find out if they are regulated to this or if they respond to city and county affairs.
By law, certain officers are theoretically given statewide jurisdiction. However, all agencies have a stated primary duty, and straying away from that is generally considered overstepping one's responsibility. They have certain enforcement powers that are considered part of their job anywhere in the state, such as carrying out an arrest warrant or investigating a crime by interviewing witnesses. Of course following a suspect fleeing into another jurisdiction is pretty normal.
http://law.justia.com/codes/california/2005/pen/830-832.17.html
There are some statewide agencies like the University of California Police that legally have statewide authority, but they rarely use that outside of campus or university property.
The California Highway Patrol is a pretty diversified law enforcement agency. Over 20 years ago, they absorbed the California State Police, whose function was to patrol state property and provide protection services for statewide office holders like the Governor. Their primary duty is traffic enforcement, but there have been cases where they provided scheduled aid to supplement local law enforcement. They also have a Capitol division that provides patrol around state property in Sacramento. They also have protective services that do things like run a Secret Service style protection detail for the Governor and dignitaries. This is the part of the law (plus others describing statewide peace officers) that describes their authority:
Quote:
830.2. The following persons are peace officers whose authority
extends to any place in the state:
(a) Any member of the Department of the California Highway Patrol including those members designated under subdivision (a) of Section 2250.1 of the Vehicle Code, provided that the primary duty of the peace officer is the enforcement of any law relating to the use or operation of vehicles upon the highways, or laws pertaining to the provision of police services for the protection of state officers, state properties, and the occupants of state properties, or both, as set forth in the Vehicle Code and Government Code.
(b) A member of the University of California Police Department appointed pursuant to Section 92600 of the Education Code, provided that the primary duty of the peace officer shall be the enforcement of the law within the area specified in Section 92600 of the Education Code.
(c) A member of the California State University Police Departments appointed pursuant to Section 89560 of the Education Code, provided that the primary duty of the peace officer shall be the enforcement of the law within the area specified in Section 89560 of the Education Code.
(d) (1) Any member of the Law Enforcement and Investigations Unit of the Department of Corrections, provided that the primary duties of the peace officer shall be the investigation or apprehension of parolees, parole violators, or escapees from state institutions, the transportation of those persons, and the coordination of those activities with other criminal justice agencies.
(2) Any member of the Office of Internal Affairs of the Department of Corrections, provided that the primary duties shall be criminal investigations of Department of Corrections personnel and the coordination of those activities with other criminal justice
agencies. For purposes of this subdivision the member of the Office of Internal Affairs shall possess certification from the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for investigators, or have completed training pursuant to Section 6126.1 of the Penal Code.
(e) Employees of the Department of Fish and Game designated by the director, provided that the primary duty of those peace officers shall be the enforcement of the law as set forth in Section 856 of the Fish and Game Code.
(f) Employees of the Department of Parks and Recreation designated by the director pursuant to Section 5008 of the Public Resources Code, provided that the primary duty of the peace officer shall be the enforcement of the law as set forth in Section 5008 of the Public Resources Code.
