Law Enforcement
The campus is under the jurisdiction of the Pella Police Department, the Marion County sheriff’s office and the Iowa State Patrol. These agencies provide official law enforcement for the campus, including crowd control and management at large events.
The college has a close working relationship with law enforcement agencies, and the dean of students meets with a liaison of the local police department to discuss crime issues. Through the student development office or student safety, the College is typically informed by local police and/or local newspapers of alleged criminal activity of students occurring off the Central campus. In reviewing the nature of the alleged violation and corresponding evidence, the dean of students may refer the situation to the campus student conduct system for consideration with outcomes/sanctions appropriate to the levels of violation and student involvement. Likewise, all state and federal laws are enforced on campus, frequently in conjunction and cooperation with local authorities. Members of the college community are encouraged to utilize area law enforcement agencies to the fullest extent possible and can expect full support and guidance from campus staff.
Students may also pursue charges through the College’s student conduct system against individuals or groups of students for possible violations of student rights or of college regulations and standards. However, the College’s student conduct system is not a court of law and makes no effort to approximate courts of law. An investigator, conduct officer, hearing board, or review committee (as applicable) does have the right to sanction students appropriate to the offense and appropriate to the academic community. Central College will disclose to the alleged victim of a crime of violence, or a non-forcible sex offense, the results of any disciplinary hearing conducted by the college against the student who is the alleged perpetrator of the crime or offense. If the alleged victim is deceased as a result of the crime or offense, the college will provide the results of the disciplinary hearing to the victim’s next of kin, if so requested. For a complete discussion of the college’s student conduct process and sanctions, please refer to the Student Policies online at https://policy.central.edu/student-policies/.