Columbia University has brought on 36 new campus patrol officers with full arrest powers, a move confirmed this week to be under the oversight of the New York Police Department. The officers, officially designated as Special Patrol Officers, were appointed through the NYPD and answer directly to the city's police commissioner, a university spokesperson said.
The university applied for the officers last year following two incidents where pro-Palestinian student demonstrators erected an unauthorized tent encampment and occupied an academic building, prompting Columbia to call in the NYPD to manage the situation.
According to Columbia representative Samantha Slater, the newly instated officers went through the NYPD’s application process under New York State’s Peace Officer law. This statute enables institutions to request peace officer appointments for their staff, granting them law enforcement authority, including the right to make arrests and use physical force.
“These laws empower Columbia to appoint Special Patrol Officers, contingent on approval from the police commissioner,” Slater wrote in an email to Reuters. “The individuals selected completed the required training and NYPD application protocols.” She added that under New York City’s administrative code, these officers remain employees of Columbia but are bound by NYPD rules, regulations, and discipline. Columbia funds their salaries and training, but they possess the full duties and authority of NYPD patrol officers, including the ability to issue citations and carry out arrests.
Detainees taken into custody by these officers will be held temporarily at a Columbia-run facility about 20 blocks from the university’s main campus before being transferred to the appropriate NYPD precinct. Slater later clarified that although the officers operate under the commissioner’s authority, they are fully employed, selected, and paid by Columbia.
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed the new officers would be unarmed but declined to answer additional questions. Columbia stated that each officer is required to complete 162 hours of state-certified training and must be sworn in by the police commissioner before beginning patrols on Columbia's private property, which includes campus buildings, lawns, and gated areas that NYPD typically does not cover.
Columbia’s move comes in the wake of major student-led protests in support of Palestine that swept across its campus last spring and drew widespread attention, including scrutiny from lawmakers, donors, and members of the public.
The university’s leadership has faced internal divisions about how to manage these protests. Tensions between the Board of Trustees and the University Senate—a body comprising students, staff, and alumni—have flared over differing views on protest management.
Just last week, the Board appointed Claire Shipman, a co-chair, to serve as interim president of the university. These newly designated officers have powers equal to any peace officer in New York State, including the ability to conduct warrantless searches, make arrests, and use physical or even deadly force when necessary under the law. Unlike Columbia's existing team of 117 civilian public safety employees, the new patrol officers are authorized to issue citations, escort individuals off campus, and arrest those violating laws or university policies.
The decision to expand Columbia's security force began well before President Trump returned to office. However, last month his administration urged the university to crack down on campus protests it deemed antisemitic, threatening to pull federal funding if stricter rules weren’t implemented. One of the administration’s demands was the hiring of peace officers with enforcement authority.
This week, Columbia’s Office of Public Safety updated its website, stating the new officers will allow the university to “respond to disruptions more quickly and independently,” thereby reducing reliance on the NYPD. Despite internal communication from the administration to the Senate about plans to bring in peace officers, members of the University Senate say they were not informed about NYPD involvement in the officers' appointment.
Dr. Jeanine D’Armiento, a professor of medicine and chair of the Senate’s executive committee, along with two unnamed Senate members, told Reuters that Columbia's administration declined to disclose who in city government approved the officers’ roles. Slater, however, maintained that Columbia has acted transparently and in accordance with its internal governance policies, saying the university's intention to expand its security force through peace officer appointments has never been hidden.