On campus, sworn and armed officers of the University Police Department enforce laws and provide security services. Certified by the North Carolina Attorney General's office, the officers can make arrests on university property.

Other agencies with enforcement jurisdiction on campus include the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency. On-campus actions by these agencies are coordinated through the University Police Department.

For faculty and staff members and students who live off-campus, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department is the primary provider of law-enforcement services. The WCU Department of Public Safety provides assistance to the Sheriff's Department when requested.

All crimes reported to the University Police Department are investigated. Where suspect(s) can be identified, University Police officers gather evidence to establish probable cause to prosecute the offender(s) in state courts. With misdemeanor offenses, offender(s) may be referred to Student Affairs for disciplinary actions and/or referred to the state courts for criminal prosecution. All felonies are investigated and referred to the local District Attorney's office. The local District Attorney decides whether criminal charges will be filed and prosecution will follow. The decision to prosecute in state courts does not exclude the possibility that disciplinary action may be initiated by the University.

University custodians lock academic and administrative buildings around 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, and open the buildings at 7 a.m. the following day. The buildings are locked from 5 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday.

Exceptions: In Belk Building and Music/English Building, special arrangements have been made for monitoring by staff members, faculty members, or graduate students. Opening and closing times also vary on some multi-use buildings such as Hunter Library, the Old Student Union, Hinds University Center, and Reid and Breese gymnasiums.

Residence halls are locked at midnight Sunday through Thursday, and at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The buildings open at 7 a.m. daily. Resident students receive keys to their buildings and may enter at will. Please remember: Security is breached if doors to residence halls are propped open.

University Police Officers periodically check exterior doors to campus buildings, but do not routinely patrol inside buildings. Students and faculty and staff members should not remain in academic or administrative buildings during "closed" hours.

The University Physical Plant is responsible for providing and maintaining the campus's exterior lighting and observes standard foot-candle specifications. Physical Plant personnel identify and trim trees and shrubbery that interfere with lighting. In planting and maintaining shrubbery around the buildings and near thoroughfares, our grounds crews try to preserve lines-of-sight for pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Please report inoperable lights or hazardous conditions to the University Police Department or to the Physical Plant.