Trespassing on Community College Grounds
My question involves education law in the State of: California
So, I was at school(community collage) and after class I have to wait a while before taking the bus home. So I was just sitting on a bench in the hallway burning time until the bus came. Eventually 2 collage police walk up to me and tell me that they are locking up and closing the building I was in. So I packed up walked outside and because it was raining I went into the corner of a building that had a little overhang so I wouldn't be getting wet and waited there.
A while later, I see the same 2 campus police plus another guy and I hear him asking them, "Is this the guy?" and them replying yes. So he walks up to me and tells me that if I go into that building again I am trespassing. Confused, I said "Okay, I wasn't planning on it, that's why I'm sitting out here....." and he just replied "I'm just letting you know that you will be charged with trespassing if you go in there again." So I just said okay...
I was quite tired at the time and didn't quite think about what he said so it was until the next morning I was thinking about why he said that....Perhaps I am just over-thinking things but I came to just ask so I don't get in trouble... I cannot tell if he was stupid or threatening me just to be mean or what I'm now worried about, saying I cant EVER go back in that building or something....I was not given any notice or anything and I don't understand why he would think that I would think it's alright to break a window to get into a building ever............So now I'm wondering if there is any problem with me waiting in a CC school building for the bus to show up and if I can get in any trouble for it....or what I should do about it? Maybe I should make a complaint about them to figure out what exactly they meant....it feels too petty for that though...=/
Re: Trespassing on School Grounds
You will have to ask the police officers why they thought that you were trespassing. We have no way of telling you what they were thinking, but odds are it was either that you were not a student, or that you might attempt to re-enter a building that you were told had been closed for the night.
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
You can certainly ask the university for clarification, but I suspect they meant that evening while the building was closed.
They already had to chase you out of the building once and found you hanging around they wanted to warn you not to go back in.
I don't see any basis of a complaint.
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
They were locking the doors....The only way to get back in would be to break in which I feel would be more then just a trespassing violation.... So, I don't get the point of them thinking that searching the campus for me just to tell me something so obvious..... I'm just asking what the best method people might recommend that would not get me into any legal trouble and help me understand what the problem was and if what I was doing at all illegal...also, if they were just trying to be mean to me I want to talk to someone other then them....
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
It sounds like it was the "other guy" and not the officers that accused you of possibly trespassing. If so, then that is the guy you need to ask what he was thinking. I'd guess that they thought you were not a student for some reason. Or, the building you were inside of was generally off limits to students or some such thing and maybe the admonition was that you were not to enter it again at all.
Keep in mind that you do not have an inherent right to remain within ANY community college building, even as a student.
What was the nature of the building you were inside?
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
Quote:
Quoting
zuv
They were locking the doors....The only way to get back in would be to break in which I feel would be more then just a trespassing violation.... So, I don't get the point of them thinking that searching the campus for me just to tell me something so obvious..... I'm just asking what the best method people might recommend that would not get me into any legal trouble and help me understand what the problem was and if what I was doing at all illegal...also, if they were just trying to be mean to me I want to talk to someone other then them....
Did you at any point ever communicate to anyone that you were a student and were just hanging out until you could catch a bus?
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
It was a building that had classrooms close to a class I had previously. All 3 of the people were campus police the 2 that brought the guy I believe were just students and got it as a part time job or something and the guy who told me not to go in again was probably full-time? (not sure if that's the best way to describe it)
The 1st time they told me to leave which I had no reason to say I was waiting for the bus. I know that they can not have people staying in a building when there are no teacher/staff so I was respecting that and I sat outside. The 2nd time I was too confused as to what was going on to really say anything except okay.
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
Quote:
Quoting
zuv
It was a building that had classrooms close to a class I had previously. All 3 of the people were campus police the 2 that brought the guy I believe were just students and got it as a part time job or something and the guy who told me not to go in again was probably full-time? (not sure if that's the best way to describe it)
If so, then the first two people were NOT police officers. They may have been campus supervisors or some similar non-sworn position (often a student position that consists of part time work, but no legal power) and they returned with a real police officer to warn you off. The officer likely acted based upon the statements by the two others. You can certainly complain to the agency if you wish, but, that's about the extent of things.
Re: Trespassing on Community College Grounds
Quote:
Quoting
zuv
My question involves education law in the State of: California
So, I was at school(community collage) and after class I have to wait a while before taking the bus home. So I was just sitting on a bench in the hallway burning time until the bus came. Eventually 2 collage police walk up to me and tell me that they are locking up and closing the building I was in. So I packed up walked outside and because it was raining I went into the corner of a building that had a little overhang so I wouldn't be getting wet and waited there.
A while later, I see the same 2 campus police plus another guy and I hear him asking them, "Is this the guy?" and them replying yes. So he walks up to me and tells me that if I go into that building again I am trespassing. Confused, I said "Okay, I wasn't planning on it, that's why I'm sitting out here....." and he just replied "I'm just letting you know that you will be charged with trespassing if you go in there again." So I just said okay...
I was quite tired at the time and didn't quite think about what he said so it was until the next morning I was thinking about why he said that....Perhaps I am just over-thinking things but I came to just ask so I don't get in trouble... I cannot tell if he was stupid or threatening me just to be mean or what I'm now worried about, saying I cant EVER go back in that building or something....I was not given any notice or anything and I don't understand why he would think that I would think it's alright to break a window to get into a building ever............So now I'm wondering if there is any problem with me waiting in a CC school building for the bus to show up and if I can get in any trouble for it....or what I should do about it? Maybe I should make a complaint about them to figure out what exactly they meant....it feels too petty for that though...=/
Remember this a Community College campus can exclude a person for any reason at any time from being allowed to remain on the campus. In their Campus Conduct Code it specifically states that "If a student is asked to leave the campus by an administrator, peace officer or other delegate and the student refuses to do so he or she will be charged for tresspassing".
When a college closes for business everyone must be out of all public locked buildings and areas deemed off limits. If you fail to do this you can be tresspassed and perhaps even have Academic Probation and or expulsion depending on how serious your crime was.