Common name MU Police Operations jurisdiction* State of Missouri, USA | Abbreviation MUPD | |
Formed 1954 (Traffic Safety and Security Department)1971 (University Police Department) Employees 41 sworn officers18 civilian employees Legal personality Governmental: Government agency | ||
The University of Missouri Police Department (MUPD) is the law enforcement agency of the University of Missouri, a public research university located in Columbia, Missouri and the flagship campus of the University of Missouri System.
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The agency’s primary jurisdiction is the University of Missouri owned locations, which includes the main campus plus other MU-owned or leased facilities, such as Mizzou North (the former Ellis Fischel Cancer Center) on Business Loop 70, KOMU-TV on U.S. Route 63, and various MU-operated clinics scattered throughout Columbia and the State of Missouri.
MU Police Officers have statewide jurisdiction, and also are commissioned through the City of Columbia. MU Police Officers have the ability to make an arrest anywhere within the State of Missouri as well as enforce city ordinances in Columbia, MO.
History
The agency was established as the "Traffic Safety and Security Department" in 1954. It became a 24-hour agency in 1964 and began sending officers to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Basic Police Academy during the Vietnam War. It became the University of Missouri Police Department in September 1971.
The agency has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since 2001.
Reports from the MU Police Department, along with the Columbia Police Department, were featured as part of two 2014 ESPN Outside the Lines investigations that focused on errors in how the university handled sexual assault cases.
Department units
MUPD operates the following department units:
Commissioned/sworn positions
MUPD uses the following ranks:
Equipment
The department's vehicle fleet consists of Ford vehicles, mainly the Utility (based on the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer, respectively) and a few older Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor vehicles. MUPD also has several unmarked, undercover vehicles. MUPD also uses bicycles, as well as utility vehicles to patrol the internal workings of the main campus.