April 4, 2016 While police authority is usually relegated to boundaries of jurisdiction (such as the city limits of Bellevue for the Bellevue Police, for example), circumstances can expand the geographical limits of police jurisdiction and attendant authority to arrest or detain. In any case, when an offender flees and police pursuit crosses borders, the officers in pursuit are allowed to exercise the same authority after exiting their home jurisdiction and entering others. Mutual Aid Agreement Many police agencies have united to create mutual aid agreements with other agencies in the region. These unions involve the deployment of outside police agencies for events giving rise to immediate and special need, such as civil unrest. Under these situations, one agency will call upon others in the agreement to send police units in support of the requesting agency. At times, special needs might involve less urgent but more specialized need, such as the skills of an evidence technician or an officer who is able to interpret a language other than English. More often than not, neighboring police agencies, especially smaller ones, share agreements with bordering agencies allowing each to cross borders and exercise police powers under circumstances of request, exigency, or special event. Exigency Under circumstances of emergency, police can cross borders of jurisdiction and exercise the same authority. An example of such a situation is an officer under attack and in need of assistance who is observed by a police officer in a neighboring agency either by sight or over a police radio. This exigency exception to jurisdiction exists even without a mutual aid agreement, though many such agreements explicitly express it. Special Event If a large event that draws sizable crowds takes place in a jurisdiction in which police resources are insufficient with respect to the need, outside agencies can be called in to assist. An example is a small town that hosts a county fair. Usually, county or state agencies sharing concurrent jurisdiction will be preferred as supplemental police support, but these county and state agencies might not always be available. College and University Police Police agencies of colleges and universities in Washington extend beyond campus. This extension exists by a combination of state laws, which establish jurisdiction in areas off campus but nearby, and local city ordinances which can expand the geographical boundaries far beyond campus lines. For example, University of Washington Police can properly exercise authority in Seattle streets not owned by the university. Don’t Acquiesce to an Out-of-Jurisdiction Arrest If you or a loved one has been arrested by a police officer who was out of jurisdiction, it might have been made without proper authority. While police might request assistance of outside agencies within their own borders, those powers might be limited to specific tasks, and not extend to the enforcement of on-view criminal offenses. Further, different governmental units have different laws, and officers of outside agencies might not be properly trained to recognize the local rules. Protect your rights against improper arrest. Contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at The Nahajski Firm at (206) 621-0500 for a free and confidential initial consultation.