University Police Authority Expands into 4 Neighborhoods

The University of Maryland College Park Police Department’s (UMPD) jurisdiction has grown.

According to a statement released Monday by the University, UMPD and the Prince George’s Police Department will jointly patrol some areas of College Park “effective immediately.”

Both departments will have policing authority in the expanded area, which encompasses about one square mile, according to the statement. 

“Together we make a powerful team and will keep improving our record of safety,” Wallace Loh, president of the University of Maryland, said in a statement. “Safety is our first priority, and these new initiatives will contribute to the transformation of College Park into a premier college town.”

UMPD’s expansion brings its patrol officers into the neighborhoods of Lakeland, Berwyn, Crystal Springs, Calvert Hills and an expanded stretch of Route 1.

University police’s jurisdiction grows just as the university’s Code of Student Conduct expands – it now applies to students whether they are on campus or off.

The Diamondback student newspaper reported students had spoken out against the expansion of the conduct code, arguing that it would allow students to be “double prosecuted” or give the office of student conduct too much power.

University Police Chief David Mitchell told the paper it was in the students’ best interest to interact with University Police instead of municipal police and the judicial system, which could mean criminal prosecution.