Are Campus Police "Real" Police? Students' Perceptions of Campus versus Municipal Police

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Campus police (CP) are an active force across U.S. universities. Yet, the public questions whether they are "real" police, as are municipal police (MP). Prior research finds students perceive CP and MP on different terms, and, generally, hold the former in lower regard. However, little is known about exactly how students view CP as different from and similar to MP. This paper addresses that gap by analyzing qualitative data gathered during interviews with 73 students attending a metropolitan Atlanta university. The analysis reveals participants perceive CP and MP as varying in training, powers, resources, sanction severity, and danger faced on the job. The paper concludes by discussing the broader implications, including how comparing CP to MP can improve research, theory, and policing.