I live in the Cragmor neighborhood and I’ve notice that the UCCS police are handing out tickets for violations that are not on the school property. For example, there is a stop sign at the corner of Mount View Lane and Acacia (Drive). There’s a church across the street (where) a city policeman typically sits … and hands out tickets if someone doesn’t stop at that stop sign. Today I noticed a UCCS patrol car sitting there and watched him hand out a ticket to someone for running that stop sign. This is not on UCCS property. My question is why are UCCS police handing out traffic tickets off of UCCS property? Is that legal?

– Michael Ortiz

ANSWER: Yes, it’s legal. University spokesman Tom Hutton explained, “As part of an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Colorado Springs, UCCS police are authorized to enforce municipal laws in a radius of the UCCS campus. This includes the ability to cite drivers for traffic infractions and parking violations.”

These campus officers are state-certified police officers, not security guards, we learned as we searched for your answer.

Hutton said that as city police resources have been stretched thin, the campus police fill a gap with more minor complaints such as parking violations, cars blocking driveways and stop sign violations. “Our Cragmor neighbors have been very supportive,” Hutton said.

Because they are police officers, the UCCS officers handle more serious and emergency calls as well.