Campus Law Enforcement Policy

The mission of the Emory University Police Department (EPD) is to provide professional law enforcement and related public safety services in partnership with the Emory community.  In accordance with Emory’s Campus Law Enforcement Policy (https://policies.emory.edu/1.9), Emory University authorizes EPD to function as a full-service police agency with the same law enforcement powers, including the power to arrest, as a law enforcement agency of the local government in accordance with state law. Police officers have jurisdiction to exercise law enforcement authority: 

• On property owned/occupied by Emory University;
• On any public/private property within 500 yards of property owned/occupied by Emory University (excluding Oxford College EPD division); and 
• On one-quarter mile of any public street or sidewalk connecting different buildings and campuses (excluding Oxford College EPD division).

EPD’s primary responsibility is to provide services to Emory University Atlanta campus, the Oxford College campus, and the Emory University Hospital Midtown campus. EPD also provides services to Emory Healthcare campuses and other Emory-affiliated properties, as necessary.

Additional security services are provided as described for the following locations:

• The on the Emory University Atlanta Campus employs in-house security personnel and contracts with security personnel to provide on-site security services and utilizes the Emory Police Department for law enforcement services.
• The Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital at Wesley Woods, and Emory Rehabilitation Hospital on the Emory University Atlanta Campus in-house security personnel to provide on-site security services and utilizes the Emory Police Department for law enforcement services.

Security personnel at each campus are not law enforcement personnel, and have only that enforcement/detention authority granted by Georgia state law O.C.G.A 17-4-80. Security Officers may detain an individual if such Security Officer is:

• A licensee or registrant under O.C.G.A. Chapter 38 of Title 43 (Operators of private detective businesses and private security businesses) when needed in the performance of his or her business conducted in conformance with such chapter. Or
• Not licensed under O.C.G.A. Chapter 38 of Title 43 but is acting as an agent for the owner of any business entity operating on their own property or on the property of others on which they are doing business and has reasonable grounds to believe that the individual sought to be detained has committed or attempted to commit theft by taking as set forth in C.G.A. 16-8-2 or theft of services as set forth in O.C.G.A 16-8-5.

Security Officers must either release a detained individual within a reasonable time or contact the law enforcement unit with appropriate jurisdiction and release the detained individual to an officer of the law enforcement unit. Security personnel operate only on property owned or controlled by the institution and report crimes in progress and summon law enforcement assistance from the Emory Police Department or other local police departments, as appropriate. Security personnel may serve in an armed or unarmed capacity in accordance with state law.

EPD maintains an active and cooperative working relationship with local municipal law enforcement agencies surrounding each campus as may be required to fulfill safety, security, and Clery Act compliance obligations (including, but not limited to, the Atlanta Police Department, The DeKalb County Police Department, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Oxford Police Department, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Decatur Police Department, the Johns Creek Police Department, Sandy Springs Police Department, and Brookhaven Police Department). There are no formal mutual aid agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other written agreements in place with local law enforcement agencies regarding the investigation of alleged criminal offenses.