CSUS police set for Smart safety rules

New safety legislation impacting colleges across the state will have little effect on how university police investigate crime at CSUS.

On Aug. 11, Governor Pete Wilson signed the Kristin Smart Campus Safety Act requiring campus police at UC, CSU and community colleges to have written agreements with local law enforcement agencies.

"All is in place as far as our shop is concerned," said university police detective John Hamrick.

Senator Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, introduced the bill after allegations arose that the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo police "bungled" early on an investigation into the disappearance of student Kristin Smart. Smart, 19, disappeared after a party in May 1996. The case sparked concerns about campus safety laws and jurisdiction.

According to Willie Guerrero, a spokesperson with Thompson's office, the law creates "a minimum threshold" for law enforcement agencies to have a dialogue on how to handle investigations for violent crimes occurring on college campuses.

"Campus police must sit down with their sheriff or local police department and come up with an agreement," Guerrero said.

According to Hamrick, CSUS police have had a written agreement with Sacramento City Police Department for over 15 years.

Most crimes at CSUS are handled on campus, but cases are turned over to the city police if university police don't have the staff, resources or skill to adequately handle the case.

"If we feel (a crime) is beyond our expertise, we contact city police," said Hamrick. "We want to assure everything is followed up on and nothing falls through the cracks."

Statistics provided by Thompson's office state that on CSU campuses, violent crimes -- which include robbery, aggravated assault, rape and murder-- have increased by 12 percent from 1994 to 1996.

According to Thompson's office, the legislation is important in that it defines the law enforcement agency to head an investigation and acts as a consumer protection for students and families evaluating a school.

"Every student has a right to pursue their studies in a safe environment," Thompson said. "And every parent has a right to know that their children are going to be protected from violent crimes when they send them off to our state campuses."

The agreements will need to be provided to the legislature and be available for public viewing by July 1, 1999.

Hamrick said university police will check the new law and ensure they are in compliance. "The Kristin Smart bill will, in essence, give us the opportunity to fine-tune what we already have in place," he said.