California State University police departments

California State University Police Department
AbbreviationCSUPD
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionCalifornia, U.S.
General nature
Former patch used in the early 1980s

The California State University police departments (CSUPD) (known within the California State University system as the Cal State Police or University Police) are the police departments of the California State University system. Their police officers are duly sworn peace officers of the State of California, as established by section 830.2(c) of the California Penal Code.[1] There are a total of 23 campuses in the California State University system, each with their own police department. Each campus' police department has its own chain of command; however, some of the policies are system-wide.[2]

Unlike other police departments in the state, there is no single chief of the CSUPD; however there is a central council of chiefs. The council is responsible for ensuring that the various departments are operating within the CSUPD mission. However, the council does not dictate the day-to-day operations of the department, and each department sets its own Standard Operating Policies.

When situations arise on a campus that require more police than the individual department can handle, other CSU police departments can send mutual aid officers to help.