University of Virginia Library

Albemarle
Deputizes
Security

University security officers
will be deputized by both the
Charlottesville Circuit Court
and the Albemarle County
Circuit Court under the new
state restructuring of the court
system.

About 40 officers were
deputized Thursday afternoon
by the county court, and
Director of University Relations
William H. Fishback Jr. said
Monday that the city court will
also re-deputize the policemen,
since under the restructuring,
the name of the city court has
been changed.

The dual deputation is
essentially the same authority
setup as prevailed before the
University asked to be dropped
from county jurisdiction in
spring 1972.

Charlottesville
Commonwealth's Atty. John
T. Camblos said the
restructuring of the court
system, which went into effect
with other Constitutional
changes July 1, made it
questionable whether the
jurisdiction of the city court
still extended one mile beyond
the city limits.

The officers had been
deputized under the provision
of state law which says that the
jurisdiction of city courts
extends one mile beyond the
city's boundaries.

University Legal Adviser
Neill II. Alford Jr. said
Thursday that persons arrested
by security officers in the city
portion of the Grounds would
be prosecuted in the city
courts and persons arrested in
the county portion would be
prosecuted in county courts. A
similar setup was in force until
last spring when the University
dropped the county
jurisdiction after Albemarle
Commonwealth's Atty Charles
R. Haugh sought an
investigation of the University
Security Department–now the
University Police
Department—by Albemarle
Circuit Court Judge David F.
Berry.