Once a dividing line where UNC Department of Public Safety officers’ authority was reduced to calling 911, Franklin Street is now a shared domain between Chapel Hill and campus police.
Since July 1, the two departments have collaborated to heighten the police presence in Chapel Hill’s downtown business section where the two departments now share jurisdiction.
Campus and town police have been patrolling together for several weeks to familiarize themselves with the other department’s protocol.
The extended jurisdiction agreement, approved by Chapel Hill Town Council and Board of Trustees in late May, designates the territory between South Merritt Mill Road and the northernmost block of Raleigh Road as joint territory. McCauley Street and some streets just beyond Rosemary Street mark southern and northern boundaries.
Chapel Hill Police Lt. Kevin Gunter said the agreement was propelled by the University’s increased expansion into the downtown with the recent acquisitions of Granville Towers and University Square, along with the development of Carolina North two miles off-campus.
“When the Granville Towers situation was evolving, they were trying to figure out a way to police that property,” said Gunter. “With it being in the central business district, it just made sense for this agreement to play out as it did.”
DPS spokesman Randy Young said the agreement is especially necessary for University officers who encounter crimes en route to off-campus, UNC-owned properties while travelling through areas where town police once had sole jurisdiction.
While both departments are at liberty to act upon ongoing crimes within the shared area, the department with primary jurisdiction is responsible for responding to 911 calls directed to the crime scene.
University Square will continue to be under the primary jurisdiction of Chapel Hill police, at least for now, Gunter said.
