(1) Each Florida College System institution is permitted and empowered to employ police officers for the Florida College System institution, who must be designated Florida College System institution police.
(2) Each Florida College System institution 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 or within 1,000 feet of any property of the Florida College System institution by which he or she is employed or any property or facilities of a direct-support organization of such Florida College System institution or any other organization controlled by the Florida College System institution, or when such violations occur within a specified jurisdictional area as agreed upon in a mutual aid agreement entered into with a law enforcement agency pursuant to s. 23.1225. A Florida College System institution 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 or within 1,000 feet of any such property or facilities. A Florida College System institution 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. Florida College System institution 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.
(3) Florida College System institution police shall promptly deliver all persons arrested and charged with felonies to the sheriff of the county within which the Florida College System institution 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 Florida College System institution is located.
(4) Florida College System institution 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 Florida College System institution police officer must, before entering into the performance of his or her duties, take the oath of office established by the Florida College System institution. Each Florida College System institution 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 Florida College System institution may determine the amount of the bond. In determining the amount of the bond, the Florida College System institution may consider the amount of money or property likely to be in the custody of the officer at any one time. The Florida College System institution shall provide a uniform set of identifying credentials to each Florida College System institution police officer it employs.
(5) In performance of any of the powers, duties, and functions authorized by law, Florida College System institution police have the same rights, protections, and immunities afforded other law enforcement officers.
(6) The Florida College System institution, with the approval of the Department of Law Enforcement, shall adopt rules, including, without limitation, rules for the appointment, employment, and removal of Florida College System institution 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 Florida College System institution shall furnish a copy of the policy manual to each of the police officers it employs.
History.—s. 777, ch. 2002-387; s. 196, ch. 2011-5; s. 3, ch. 2013-171.