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Authority and Agency Assistance

Law Enforcement Authority

Sworn members of this department are peace officers pursuant to Penal Code § 830.2(b). The authority of any such peace officer extends to any place in the State of California, 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.

California Education Code, Section 92600

"The Regents of the University of California are authorized and empowered to appoint one or more persons to be members of the University of California Police Department as such police department is constituted on September 19, 1947, or may thereafter be constituted. Persons employed and compensated as members of said police department, when so appointed and duly sworn, are peace officers; provided, that such officers shall not exercise their powers or authority except (a) upon the campuses of the University of California and an area within one mile of the exterior boundaries of each thereof, (b) in or about other grounds of properties owned, operated, controlled or administered by The Regents of the University of California and (c) as provided in Section 830.2 of the Penal Code."

California Penal Code Section 830.2

The following persons are peace officers whose authority extends to any place in the state:

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.

Concurrent Jurisdiction

UC San Diego Police shares jurisdiction with local law enforcement agencies.

UC Police and Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies

University-Wide Mutual Aid

Pursuant to Chapter 13 of the University of California university-wide Police Policies and Administrative Procedures, UCPD and equipment from one or more campuses can travel to another UC campus to support that campus’ police department with both planned and unplanned events and occurrences.

California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plans

The statewide mutual aid system is an outgrowth of the California Disaster and Civil Defense and the Master Mutual Aid Agreement (1950), the Emergency Services Act, Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code (GC), Governor’s Executive Order W-9-91, is supported by the California Emergency Plan and by extension, the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan.

The State of California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan is issued and revised under the authority of Sections 8550, 8569, 8615 through 8619, and 8668 of the California Government Code, the California Emergency Plan, and the Master Mutual Aid Agreement. 

UC Police, as a state law enforcement agency, is expected to participate in the plan. The Sheriff of San Diego County is the Operational Area (OA) Law Enforcement Coordinator for UC San Diego. The Sheriff may request assistance on behalf of the OA (i.e., county) and law enforcement agencies are expected provide personnel to the extent possible. No jurisdiction is required to unnecessarily deplete its own personnel, equipment and service capabilities in order to furnish mutual aid resources. When requested to provide mutual aid, it is generally accepted that a reasonable response will consist of up to 50% of available on-duty uniformed personnel. Examples of past law enforcement assistance requests in California include: events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, search and rescue, civil unrest, and transportation accidents/air crashes.