Why are BU cops randomly detaining non-students who aren’t on campus property?
Blog Peoria Project blogger Seth Ben-Ezra has an interesting report on Bradley University Police and Peoria Police gathering to detain a bicyclist in front of Seth’s house the other day.
So, after last night’s display, I just want to say that I feel much safer in my home than before. It’s good to know that the police are out there, protecting me from dangerous black men riding around on improperly illuminated bikes. Hopefully, as a follow-up, they’ll start fining people for having lawns that are too long. It’s not like there are more important things to be doing.
Yet the intrepid BU police department aren’t able to keep BU students from having loud, open alcohol parties on their front lawns.
From what Seth heard, it appears the bicyclist was insufficiently deferential to the BU officer. And Seth is wondering, as I am, why someone paid by BU is doing checking the identification non-students who are NOT on BU property. And yes, I am aware BU police are “real” police officers.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
Geez, because BU Police are real police officers. I hope that answered your question. Much to your surprise non students are the ones breaking into BU property and campus dorms more than students. Of course according to you, all students are too busy drinking on their lawns to be a threat. That is what Van Auken is for. Why not ask what we, the city, is paying for her legal fees for her last bout with the frat boys? In the mean time, maybe Ben-Ezra should be happy police are checking suspicious people. Bet if the Ben-Ezra house was broken into, we’d see a great blog on why there are no police around or; “Those lazy Campus Police!”
I was thinking that thee must have been complaints or robberies in the area. Did anyone check? Please send the police to my father’s neighborhood if Ezra isn’t happy with them. He could use them!
All this biker had to do was say he was on the Peoria City Council and his name was BVA then he could have murdered someone in front of the officer and gotten away with it. Although I am not sure if this man’s voice would have been deep enough to impersonate BVA.
ouch 11bravo. LOL
Emtronics,
Actually, if my house were broken into, you’d probably see something along the lines of the blog post I wrote when my car was broken into in Indianapolis.
Regardless, my questions remain. Why were Bradley police pulling over a cyclist on Orange Street? I admit that my other questions were a bit more pointed, but this is a serious question. What are the limits of Bradley police jurisdiction? Do they share patrol duties with Peoria police in certain areas? How does that work? I actually want to know.
So far, all I have this description from the Bradley police website:
“The university police and city police share concurrent jurisdiction and provide police services for Bradley-owned on- and off-campus student residences, as well as fraternity and sorority residences. University police have direct two-way radio contact with the city Police Communications System. The Department is also connected to the city of Peoria’s police computer which allows for municipal and state access to vehicle or criminal information. The city maintains a Community Police Office in the vicinity of the University to address community and off-campus student concerns. The two departments have a close working relationship, based on cooperation, providing each other with patrol assistance and backup as necessary, which includes participation in the Crime Stoppers Program.”
I’d like more information on this. Believe it or not, I’m actually assuming that those police officers had some form of jurisdiction. I’d just like to know what it is. Can anyone help me out?
And, no, I’m not really happy that police are checking “suspicious people”. I don’t really want a society where police are allowed to perform routine “stop-and-frisks” as described in this article.
MAWB, Crimeview shows no hits for 10/8/2009 within 1/2 a mile of where this took place. That’s the best information I can get. And, you know, I was listening to hear if anything else came up. Even something like, “Where have you been for the last hour?” or…dunno…something. I was stunned that the entire brouhaha really was just over a bike headlight.
BU Police have jurisdiction through Peoria County, not just on the actual campus. That means they have the same police powers as the city department and the PC sheriff’s department.
However, they patrol within the following area 99% of the time:
Start at Moss and Sheridan. Go North on Sheridan to Columbia Terrace, West on Columbia to Parkview, down Parkview to Main, Main to Western, Western to Moss, and Moss back over to Sheridan.
By Parkview, I meant Parkside. Oops.
Rdm,
Thanks for the info! Got a source that you could cite? I like knowing how law enforcement works, especially in my hometown.
Sure, I got all that directly from Dave Baer, the university police chief.
Seth: “I like knowing how law enforcement works, especially in my hometown.”
I also like having some sort of civil control over the people who run around my city with guns and badged. City Police must answer, ultimately to voters through the Peoria city Council. County police, through the sheriff. State police though the governor and legislature. To what elected body to these BU cops answer to?
“I also like having some sort of civil control over the people who run around my city with guns and badged. City Police must answer, ultimately to voters through the Peoria city Council. County police, through the sheriff. State police though the governor and legislature.”
Um, none of that is true. None of those bodies has any direct control over the individual officers. Yes, they may appoint an individual to supervise an entire department or agency but nothing that is directly traceable to the individual officer. The BU police are subject to the same rules and regulations as the COP police and they both ultimately are regulated by the same force, the courts.
11bravo: You are correct in saying that the 11 people on the city council to not give direct orders to the officers on the street. But they certainly can and do have the ability to make changes at the top — the city manager — if they feel that the police are not behaving in ways their suit their wishes. To be vulgar about it, shit does flow downhill. And I, as a voter, have the right to vote the council out of office if crime is out of control, or if the police are unresponsive to my rights or the rights of others.