Law Enforcement Authority
Sworn members of the UC Santa Cruz Police Department are peace officers pursuant to Penal Code § 830.2(b). The authority of any such peace officer extends to any place in the State of California, provided that the primary duty of the peace officer shall be the enforcement of the law within the area specified in Education Code § 92600.
The police officers are armed and possess the same authority under the law as municipal police officers. They patrol the campus and in or about other grounds of properties owned, operated, controlled or administered by The Regents of the University of California 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It is important that all crimes occurring on campus be immediately reported to the Police Department to ensure that appropriate action can be taken.
To Report Any Emergency:
Emergencies requiring police, fire, or medical aid can be reported in person or by dialing 911 from any cellular phone or telephone on campus.
Emergencies can also be reported by using one of the “Blue Light” emergency phones located throughout the campus.
Non-Emergency Assistance:
Non-emergency calls for assistance can be reported by dialing the UC Santa Cruz Police Department at (831) 459-2231 ext. 1.
More information about how to visit us can be found on our Office Hours and Directions page.
Concurrent Jurisdiction
The UC Santa Cruz Police Department shares jurisdiction with local law enforcement agencies.
- The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department has concurrent jurisdiction upon all university-owned or -controlled properties located within the county.
- The City of Santa Cruz Police Department has concurrent jurisdiction on the residential campus, Coastal Science Campus and upon all university-owned or -controlled properties located within the city.
UC Police and Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies
University-Wide Mutual Aid
Pursuant to Chapter 13 of the University of California university-wide Police Policies and Administrative Procedures, UCPD and equipment from one or more campuses can travel to another UC campus to support that campus’ police department with both planned and unplanned events and occurrences.
California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plans
The statewide mutual aid system is an outgrowth of the California Disaster and Civil Defense and the Master Mutual Aid Agreement (1950, PDF), the Emergency Services Act, Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code (GC), Governor’s Executive Order W-9-91 (PDF), is supported by the California Emergency Plan and by extension, the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan (PDF).
The State of California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan is issued and revised under the authority of Sections 8550, 8569, 8615 through 8619, and 8668 of the California Government Code, the California Emergency Plan, and the Master Mutual Aid Agreement. UC Police, as a state law enforcement agency, is expected to participate in the plan. The Sheriff of Santa Cruz County is the Operational Area (OA) Law Enforcement Coordinator for UC Santa Cruz. The Sheriff may request assistance on behalf of the OA (i.e., county) and law enforcement agencies are expected to provide personnel to the extent possible.
IACLEA Accreditation
In June 2025, the UC Santa Cruz Police Department achieved full accreditation for a four-year term through the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA).
The IACLEA is the largest professional organization dedicated to excellence in public safety and security in higher education. The association provides its member agencies with resources in training, research, advocacy, education and professional services.
IACLEA accreditation signifies an ongoing commitment to excellent, state-of-the-art performance in every aspect of operations. The IACLEA Accreditation Program – developed by and for campus public safety professionals – offers an accreditation process for campus public safety agencies at colleges and universities across the country. To be accredited, departments must show evidence that they follow the 227 standards that the IACLEA view as best practices and appropriate criteria for the effective and efficient operations of a campus public safety agency.
In a message to the campus community, Police Chief Kevin Domby explained the motivation behind seeking IACLEA accreditation: “Seeking IACLEA accreditation has helped UCSC PD ensure we are able to serve the campus community with the highest integrity and best practices.”
Calls For Service
Calls for service statistics are used to indicate the level of police activity in a defined area during a specific timeframe. Calls for service totals are a combination of dispatched calls and self-initiated/directed calls.
Dispatched calls are calls for police assistance that are generated by the community, through a call or text to 911 or the non-emergency line (831-459-2231). Self-initiated and directed calls are officer-initiated calls for service, which can be initiated in-person or scheduled in advance to proactively address a community issue.
| Year | Total Calls for Service |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 32,105 |
| 2019 | 30,972 |
| 2020 | 34,769 |
| 2021 | 26,971 |
| 2022 | 21,397 |
| 2023 | 18,337 |
The UC Santa Cruz Police Department counts all calls for service where at least one UC Santa Cruz Police Officer was dispatched or self-initiated a call. The calls are primarily dispatched to locations within the UC Santa Cruz main campus and UC Santa Cruz-owned and leased locations, but also include calls where an officer assisted another agency.
Police Department Demographics
| Race/Ethnicity | UCSC PD Staff | UCSC Students* | UC System Students** |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American | 0% | 4.8% | 4.7% |
| Asian | 6.3% | 30.6% | 33% |
| Chicanx/Latinx | 18.8% | 27.5% | 23.3% |
| American Indian | 0% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 3.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Unknown | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| European American | 68.8% | 30.6% | 21.6% |
*From UC Santa Cruz 2024 Fall Student Enrollment
**From UC 2024 Fall Student Enrollment
| Staff | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sworn* | 50% | 9.38% | 59.38% |
| Non-sworn** | 12.5% | 28.12% | 40.62% |
| Total | 62.5% | 37.5% | 100% |
*Sworn: Officers
**Non-Sworn: Professional staff, records, evidence technicians, etc.