The Florida Senate

Each ¹community college is permitted and empowered to employ police officers for the ¹community college, who must be designated ¹community college police.

Each ¹community college police officer is a law enforcement officer of the state and a conservator of the peace who has the authority to arrest, in accordance with the laws of this state, any person for a violation of state law or applicable county or municipal ordinance if that violation occurs on or in any property or facilities of the ¹community college by which he or she is employed or any property or facilities of a direct-support organization of such ¹community college. A ¹community college police officer may also arrest a person off campus for a violation committed on campus after a hot pursuit of that person that began on any such property or facilities. A ¹community college police officer may bear arms in the performance of his or her duties and carry out a search pursuant to a search warrant on the campus where he or she is employed. ¹Community college police, upon request of the sheriff or local police authority, may serve subpoenas or other legal process and may make arrests of persons against whom arrest warrants have been issued or against whom charges have been made for violations of federal or state laws or county or municipal ordinances.

¹Community college police shall promptly deliver all persons arrested and charged with felonies to the sheriff of the county within which the ¹community college is located and all persons arrested and charged with misdemeanors to the applicable authority as provided by law, but otherwise to the sheriff of the county in which the ¹community college is located.

¹Community college police must meet the minimum standards established by the Police Standards and Training Commission of the Department of Law Enforcement and chapter 943 for law enforcement officers. Each ¹community college police officer must, before entering into the performance of his or her duties, take the oath of office established by the ¹community college. Each ¹community college that employs police officers may obtain and approve a bond on each police officer, conditioned upon the officer’s faithful performance of his or her duties, which bond must be payable to the Governor. The ¹community college may determine the amount of the bond. In determining the amount of the bond, the ¹community college may consider the amount of money or property likely to be in the custody of the officer at any one time. The ¹community college shall provide a uniform set of identifying credentials to each ¹community college police officer it employs.

In performance of any of the powers, duties, and functions authorized by law, ¹community college police have the same rights, protections, and immunities afforded other law enforcement officers.

The ¹community college, with the approval of the Department of Law Enforcement, shall adopt rules, including, without limitation, rules for the appointment, employment, and removal of ¹community college police in accordance with the state Career Service System and shall establish in writing a policy manual, that includes, without limitation, procedures for managing routine law enforcement situations and emergency law enforcement situations. The ¹community college shall furnish a copy of the policy manual to each of the police officers it employs.