Role, Authority, and Training
Penn State University Police and Public Safety operate under a centralized model which includes 22 campus locations across the Commonwealth. Full time University Police Officers are assigned to Penn State Great Valley. University Police primarily work during core operational periods for the campus. University Police are dispatched through the Chester County 911 Center, and operate on the same radio channels as surrounding local police departments. When a University Police officer is on duty, the Chester County 911 Center will notify both University Police and the East Whiteland Township Police about any calls received for the campus. If a University Police Officer is not on duty, the East Whiteland Township Police are the primary first responding law enforcement agency for the campus. As University Police at Great Valley do not operate on a 24 hour basis, if you need an immediate response from a police officer, and cannot reach an on duty University Police Officer, please call the East Whiteland Township Police. For all Emergencies, DIAL 911.
University Police Officers at Penn State Great Valley:
- Have completed a training course required of all municipal police officers in Pennsylvania, participate in continuing education in-service training programs, and are certified by the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission • Are First Aid/CPR/AED certified.
- Are commissioned under the Administrative Code of 1929 and the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Law (Act 120 of 1974) and have the same authority as municipal police officers in the Commonwealth, being authorized to carry firearms and empowered to make arrests. All criminal incidents are reviewed by the University Police at Penn State Great Valley.
All crimes that occur on campus or University property should be reported to the University Police or East Whiteland Township Police.