PRINCETON: University, local police working on agreement

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
   Law enforcement and Princeton University officials are working on an arrangement that would spell out what kinds of situations the university’s 90-member public safety department could handle without needing a Princeton police officer present.
   The goal is to have the agreement, called a memorandum of understanding, in place for next year when a consolidated department is running after the two Princetons merge in January, said Dan Day, a spokesman for the university, on Tuesday.
   Mr. Day said that serious matters still would be handled by police. But for lesser emergencies, such as an ambulance call, they would no longer be necessary.
   ”We want to handle as much as we can handle,” Mr. Day said, in adding the university is seeking to be a good neighbor.
   Borough Police Chief David J. Dudeck said in an email Tuesday that his department, township police, the university department of public safety and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office have met to “develop a police response protocol to the Princeton University campus for the future Princeton Police Department.”
   Chief Dudeck said specific issues being discussed are “call type” and “jurisdictional boundaries.”
   ”Obviously, the goal is to have some type of policy set for all officers involved by the start of 2013,” said Mr. Dudeck, who was recommended in June to lead the merged department.
   A representative from the Prosecutor’s Office was not available for comment.Princeton University has a 90-member public safety department, with 27 of them sworn officers who have arrest powers, Mr. Day said. He said the officers are not armed.
   Mr. Dudeck said the Police Department “looks forward to continuing a positive working relationship” with the university’s Public Safety Department.