(a) The President of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, with the approval of the board of trustees, is hereby authorized to appoint and employ suitable persons to act as police officers to keep off intruders and prevent trespass upon and damage to the property and grounds of the university. Such persons shall be charged with all the duties and vested with all the powers of police officers and may eject trespassers from the university buildings and grounds, and may, without warrant, arrest any persons guilty of disorderly conduct or of trespass upon the property of the university, or for any public offense committed in their presence, and carry them before the nearest court or any other officer charged with the trial of such offenders, before whom, upon proper affidavit charging the offense, any person so arrested may be tried and convicted as in cases of persons brought before him on his warrant, and may with a warrant arrest any persons found upon or near the premises of the university charged with any public offense and take them before the proper officer.
(b) The police officers provided for in this section shall cooperate with and, when requested, furnish assistance to the regularly constituted authorities of the City of Huntsville, and their jurisdiction and authority shall be coextensive with the corporate limits of the municipality.