“Slow down! There’s a cop over there man!”
This is a guide to what the campus police and their cadets can do.
Driving around campus, it is inevitable that you will see a Campus Police cruiser riding around, giving out parking tickets to poor students or setting up a speed trap to catch unsuspecting speeders.
Students may assume that when they see a cop car on campus, that that car could pull them over or even make an arrest.
The fact is that there are different kinds of cops on campus. Sworn-in peace officers can carry weapons, pull you over, or even take you to jail. Student cadets can write tickets or issue warnings for parking or vehicle code enforcement.
The three VCCCD campuses got their accreditation from the State Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Training. This agency ensures that the 34 full- and part-time employees on all three campuses meet the minimum requirements to become a peace officer. .
According to Moorpark Peace Officer Brad Cabelli, some of the cadets on campus are full-time college students who are enrolled in police academy classes and who are interested in a career in law enforcement. They receive hourly pay at $7.25 per hour. Their duties include citing parking tickets, providing assistance to troubled motorists, being the face the public sees at the campus police office, and also providing parking direction for special events.
“The cadets do not have the ability to pull over a suspicious vehicle or detain an individual,” said Sanchez. “The police officers are the only ones that can do that.”
The cadets assist in the day-to-day operations of the station to allow the sworn officers freedom to patrol the campus. Their daily duties are limited to patrol of the college campus and a one-mile radius off campus.
“The surrounding neighborhoods are not patrolled by the campus police, but we do help out in emergency situations,” remarked Sanchez.
Although, the surrounding neighborhoods are not patrolled, campus officers can pull over vehicles of non-college students.
Cabelli said the biggest problems on campus are driving too fast and not being courteous when driving.
Parking tickets are also a problem and, if left unpaid, can result in stiff penalties and notification to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The unpaid tickets will show up when a person tries to register their car for renewal. If a student, faculty or staff member receives five tickets that remain unpaid, the campus police have the authority to have the offender’s car towed. According to Cabelli, officers will not tow the car if the offender attempts to pay off any outstanding tickets over time, even if it takes a while.
“I know that everyone can’t afford to pay these tickets, so as long as you make an attempt to pay it off, we won’t tow your vehicle,” Cabelli said.
The Campus Police stations at each of the three campuses are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
