University of North Georgia Public Safety is a fully certified, state police agency. All officers employed by the university are equivalent to the police or sheriff deputies employed in any city. University police officers are authorized to make arrests for violations of state law and city ordinances, obtain and execute search warrants, and enforce traffic laws.
The jurisdiction of UNG Public Safety as defined by Georgia law is public or private property under control of the Board of Regents plus 500 yards. The officers can still operate beyond the 500 yard limit under the following conditions:
The UNG Public Safety Department has a strong working relationship with neighboring jurisdictions. On a regular basis, the departments share information and equipment, assist with investigations, and provide back-up when needed.
According to the clarification given in the 1998 amendments to 20 U.S.C. Section 1092 (f), Campus "Pastoral Counselors" and Campus "Professional Counselors", when acting as such, are not considered to be a campus security authority and are not required to report crimes for inclusion into the annual disclosure of crime statistics. As a matter of policy, they are encouraged, if and when they deem it appropriate, to inform persons being counseled of the procedures to report crimes on a voluntary basis for inclusion into the annual crime statistics.
The rulemaking committee defines counselors as: