Court Opinion

ID: 9703121
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:41:23.596814+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:12:35.879349
License: Public Domain

O’KICKI, Judge,
dissenting:
The Act of July 9,1976, P.L. 586, No. 142, § 2, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8701 is inapplicable to the case at bar. 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8901 states:
Any police officer of any political subdivision may arrest with or without warrant any person beyond the territorial limits of such political subdivision for a summary or other offense committed by such person within such political subdivision if the officer continues in pursuit of such person after commission of the offense. The police shall exercise under this section only the power of arrest which he would have if he . were acting within the territorial limits of his political subdivision, (emphasis added).
“Political subdivision” as defined by 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1991 encompasses:
“Any county, city, borough, incorporated town, township, school district, vocational school district and county institution district.”
The legislature has specifically set forth the types of “schools” which are to be considered as political subdivisions. College and University campuses are not included under 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1991. Therefore, campus police have no authority to act under 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8901. 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1921(b) states:
“When the wording of a statute are clear and free from all ambiguity, the letter of the statute is not to be disregarded...”
Next we must consider whether the last paragraph of 71 P.S. § 646 and subsection (e) of 71 P.S. § 646 conflict. The last paragraph of 71 P.S. § 646 states:
*169“Security and campus police shall exercise their powers and perform their duties only on the premises of the State Colleges and universities...” (emphasis added).
71 P.S. § 646 states:
“. . . Campus Police of all State colleges and universities, State aided or related colleges and universities and community colleges shall have the power, and their duty shall be:
(e) To exercise the same powers as are now or may hereafter be exercised under authority of law or ordinance by the police of the cities of . . . wherein state buildings are located and in municipalities wherein said colleges, universities and community colleges are located”, (emphasis added).
In Commonwealth v. Bable, 254 Pa.Super. 72, 385 A.2d 530 (1978) the court held that the arrest of the defendant and his co-defendant was unlawful because he had no authority to arrest anyone in Hempfield Township. The court stated:
“Thus, the arrest of the defendant was unlawful as Hemp-field and Greenville did not have any municipal agreements allowing police officers of one municipality to arrest in the other. The police departments of each municipality had a tacit agreement to that effect. However, such an agreement made between police departments does not confer authority to make such arrests because only the municipalities may enter into such agreements.” Supra 254 Pa. Super, at 75-76, 385 A.2d 530.
71 P.S. § 646(e) and the last paragraph are not in conflict. If the Pennsylvania State University and the Borough of State College would have had an “agreement” “To exercise the same powers as are now or may hereafter be exercised under authority of law or ordinance”, (see 71 P.S. § 646(e)), then the last paragraph of 71 P.S. § 646 would not limit campus police to act “only” on the premises of the campus.
Under 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1933,
“Whenever a general provision is a statute shall be in conflict with a special provision in the same or another *170statute, the two shall be construed, if possible, so that effect may be given both...”
The specific provision of 71 P.S. § 646(e) controls the general provision of the last paragraph of 71 P.S. § 646. If the University and Borough would have had an ordinance permitting campus police to exercise their power of arrest within the Borough of State College defendant’s arrest would have been lawful. However, the record is void of any such agreements, thus, the order of February 22, 1979, Court of Common Pleas of Centre County should be affirmed and the case remanded for new trial.