One of the recent community projects the Boston College Police Department was requested to undertake was to provide students with information on what to do if stopped by the police. BCPD's Student Tips on Police Stops contains a series of commonsense suggestions on how you should handle the situation when stopped by a police officer, on or off campus. It is not meant to be legal advice or to advise you of any rights or recourse you may have during or after the stop. Most students are aware of their legal rights. However, this is not the best time to demand your rights or argue points of law with the officer. These street smart guidelines attempt to give you good commonsense suggestions if you find yourself in this type of a situation.

The laws of every state, and in particular this state, require an individual to stop when advised or signaled to do so by a police officer - whether that officer is in a police cruiser or on foot. In addition University rules require you to produce your identification when requested by an official. When stopped you can do a lot to help reduce the level of anxiety during the encounter and to considerably lessen the chance of the situation escalating beyond your control.

As a law enforcement official, as a member of this community, and as a parent, I strongly urge you to consider these street smart guidelines.

Director of Public Safety