Many students at Ohio University wonder what difference, if any, there is in the jurisdiction of the Athens Police Department and Ohio University Police Department.
Due to a mutual aid agreement between the departments, there is no major difference in jurisdiction, but there is a difference in where students can go if charged with crimes.
Due to a mutual aid agreement, OUPD can arrest students on APD property and APD can arrest students in any OU building, said OUPD Chief Tony Camechis.
Another major difference between the two departments is where students will go if arrested. APD reports all arrests to the Athens court system, while OUPD can choose whether students will face court trials or student judiciaries, Athens Police Chief Rick Mayer said.
APD is responsible for enforcing laws in all of Athens, Mayer said. Without OUPD, APD would be responsible for OU buildings because they are within the city limits of Athens, Mayer said.
The mutual aid agreement sets recommendations for which department has jurisdiction in specific parts of Athens, Camechis said, but OUPD officers would not be outside their jurisdiction to arrest someone in any part of Athens.
In the case of an emergency, either department can help, Camechis said. Both departments will send out officers or connect students to the proper authorities.
The departments commonly cooperate and assist each other with arrests, said Pat McGee, an attorney at the Center for Student Legal Services.
This cooperation is necessary because both of the departments are small, Camechis said.
We compliment each other very well
he said.
I'd say the main difference [between departments] is who pays their salaries said McGee.
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Elyse Ball
