Columbia University deploys special officers with powers to arrest amid student protests
Columbia University has appointed 36 new special patrol officers, confirmed this week, following a series of protests on campus.
Columbia student demonstrators chain themselves to the gates of St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University to denounce the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil in New York City, U.S., April 2, 2025. (REUTERS FILE)
Appointed by the New York Police Department, they will operate under the police commissioner’s orders.
After pro-Palestinian student protesters allegedly set up an unauthorised tent on campus and barricaded themselves inside an academic building, Columbia’s leadership sought peace officers from the city’s police commissioner last year. They had previously called the NYPD twice to handle the situation.
Columbia spokesperson Samantha Slater said that the new officers underwent the NYPD’s application process under New York state’s Peace Officers law.
This law enables people or organisations to request the NYPD commissioner to appoint their employees as special patrol officers, granting them the same powers of arrest and the ability to use physical force as regular police officers, she added.
“Columbia has individuals that meet the other requirements in the law such as a lengthy training program and have gone through the NYPD’s application process,” said Slater.
She also said that special patrol officers are authorised under the New York City administrative code, which mandates that they “be subject to the orders of the commissioner, obey the department’s rules and regulations, and conform to its general discipline.”
Under city law, Columbia is responsible for funding the training and salaries of these officers, though they remain Columbia employees. However, they will also have the same powers and duties as regular NYPD patrol officers. They must report any summonses issued and bring anyone they arrest to the local NYPD precinct.
Arrests will be processed at a Columbia campus office, located about 20 blocks from the main Manhattan campus, until detainees are transferred to the precinct.
Following publication, Slater clarified that the officers are Columbia employees, hired, selected, and funded by the university, disputing the initial interpretation of the laws.
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed the officers would be unarmed but declined to provide further details. The new officers must complete 162 hours of state-certified training, as stated by Columbia, and be sworn in by the police commissioner.
Once sworn in, they will patrol Columbia’s privately owned buildings, gated plazas, and lawns—areas that regular NYPD officers generally cannot access.
With Reuters inputs
