Seattle Police Manual

1.160 – University of Washington

Effective Date: 3/10/2011

POLICY

Seattle Police officers will not conduct patrol activities or initiate primary police action on the University of Washington campus except in life threatening and serious felony situations. Officers may respond to the University of Washington campus in cases of emergency, such as a crime in progress, help the officer, or injured person.

I. Definitions

A. UW: University of Washington.

B. UWPD: University of Washington Police Department.

C. Serious Injury: Any injury that could produce death if not treated, or any injury, which actually results in hospitalization of the person injured.

II. Procedure

A. Officers responding to the campus for an emergency situation shall notify Radio immediately.

B. Radio will send a Department sergeant to the scene of the incident to oversee the activities of Department personnel.

III. Arrests by University of Washington Police

A. Arrests made by UW Police officers are screened and processed within their own department. They also conduct their own follow-up investigations.

IV. Follow-up Investigations

A. The Department role, except in those instances where primary police action is allowed, will be limited to that of support and assistance to the UWPD.

B. Seattle Police detectives may respond to investigate major crime scenes on campus if requested to do so by the Chief of the UWPD (or, in the UWPD Chief’s absence, the senior on-duty UWPD supervisor).

C. When Seattle Police detectives respond to a major crime scene on the UW campus, the detective unit sergeant will direct the activities of UWPD officers present to provide crime scene security during the investigation after consulting with the UWPD supervisor at the scene.

V. Use of Force by UWPD

A. Whenever a UWPD officer uses force which results in death or serious injury to any person, jurisdiction will be decided according to the particular circumstances involved.

 

1. When initial contact and the use of force occur on campus, the UWPD will have primary jurisdiction; SPD will assume a secondary role, lending the UWPD investigative support as requested.

2. Initial contact occurring off campus which results in the use of force on campus falls under the jurisdiction of the UWPD. The SPD will have a secondary role in this circumstance.

3. If initial contact is on campus but the use of force occurs off campus, the SPD will have primary jurisdiction.

4. When the initial contact and the use of force occur off campus, the SPD will have jurisdiction.

VI. Civil Disturbances

A. The UWPD has primary responsibility for handling civil disturbances on the UW campus.

B. Permission must first be obtained from the Seattle Chief of Police or Duty Captain when the Seattle Police Department is requested to assist the UWPD regarding a civil disturbance.

C. The Seattle Chief of Police or Duty Captain must determine that the proper authorization procedure has been followed by the UWPD, and that the person asking the Seattle Police Department for assistance has the authority to make the request.

D. In all cases of civil disturbance, the Department’s role will be limited to that of support and assistance to the UWPD. Radio will be notified immediately and a sergeant will be dispatched to the incident to assure that our secondary role is maintained.

VII. The University of Washington’s Chain of Command

A. University of Washington Administrative Order #2 spells out who in the University’s chain of command is authorized to make decisions regarding civil disturbances on the UW campus.

B. The chain of command, in order of availability, is as follows:

1. President of the University,

2. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs,

3. Executive Vice President,

4. Vice Provost for Student Life,

5. Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

VIII. Exceptions to Call Out Procedure

A. Under the following circumstances, the Chief of the UWPD (or, in the chief’s absence, the senior on-call police sergeant) has authority to request SPD assistance in cases of civil disorder on the UW campus on behalf of the University President.

1. Neither the President nor any University officer listed above can be contacted within a reasonable period of time, given the immediacy and other circumstances of the threatened or actual civil disorder.

2. An actual civil disorder is in progress, and immediate action is necessary to protect persons or property from further injury or damage.

3. When the Seattle Chief of Police or Duty Captain cannot be reached to obtain permission as noted above, and the situation requires the Chief of the UWPD to act for the President, the North Precinct Captain or Watch Lieutenant may authorize such assistance after being satisfied that the UWPD Chief has followed the proper authorization procedure.

B. The Chief’s office and the Duty Captain will be notified as soon as possible in all cases where permission did not precede activity by Seattle Police officers on the University of Washington campus.