ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Two University of Central Florida students, who are running for SGA president and vice president, want the university's police department to expand its jurisdiction.
Cait Zona is running for Student Government Association president alongside Jarell Jones, who is running as her vice president.
The pair told Channel 9 they want UCF police to have broader power and more control off campus.
"We just want to ensure that all our Knights are safe," Jones said.
Zona and Jones believe that UCF officers should patrol and investigate crimes in off-campus areas. An attempted rape that recently happened across the street from the campus is being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
"So even if you live all the way down by Colonial, there's some apartment complexes down there, they have to wait for the sheriff's response," Zona said.
The university released a recent crime report that shows a decline in violent offenses around campus; however, property crimes were up by about 10 percent. There were 14 forcible rapes reported around UCF in 2014, three more cases than in 2013.
"We want our campus to shine and get the light it deserves," Jones said.
UCF released a statement to Channel 9 regarding the idea of expanding its officers' jurisdiction.
"Safety is our top priority, and we regularly work with surrounding agencies to protect our community. The terms of enforcement beyond our jurisdiction and existing mutual aid agreements would need to hold up in court, and we'd need to consider civil liability and the allocation of our resources. It's not as simple as flipping a switch, but we're open to working with our partners on solutions that could benefit us all."
WFTV
