(a) The following terms shall have the following meanings, respectively:
(1) BAPTIST. Baptist Medical Center that is located on that certain 25 acre site in the southeast section of Montgomery and that is an Alabama nonprofit corporation and an affiliate of Baptist Health Services Corporation.
(2) POLICE OFFICER. Any Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission (P.O.S.T.C.) certified police officer appointed by Baptist pursuant to subsection (c).
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide for the employment of police officers by Baptist Medical Center in order to protect Baptist from intruders and trespassers, to prevent damage to the properties and grounds of Baptist, and to provide for the safety of patients and employees of Baptist. The police officers shall be vested with powers similar to the powers vested in university police.
(c) The president, as chief executive officer of Baptist, shall have the authority to appoint and employ one or more suitable persons to act as police officers to protect Baptist from intruders and trespassers, to prevent damage to the properties and grounds of Baptist, and to provide for the safety of patients and employees of Baptist. The authority of any person appointed as police officer shall immediately cease when the person ceases to be an agent, servant, or employee of Baptist.
(d) Any police officer appointed pursuant to subsection (c) shall be charged with all the powers of state or municipal police officers including, but not limited to, the right to bear firearms. The police officers may do any of the following:
(1) Eject trespassers from the buildings and grounds of Baptist.
(2) Without a warrant, arrest a person who is engaging in disorderly conduct, trespassing upon the property of Baptist, or committing any public offense in the presence of the police officers on Baptist Medical Center property, and carry the person before the proper court and, upon proper affidavit, charge the person with committing the offense and the person so arrested may be tried and convicted as in cases of persons brought before the court on the warrant of the court.
(3) Arrest any person pursuant to a warrant who is on the premises of Baptist and is charged with any public offense and take the person before the proper officer.
(e) The powers of police officers appointed pursuant to this section may be exercised only upon the premises of Baptist; and a police officer shall not otherwise act as a police officer while off the premises of Baptist, except under either of the following conditions:
(1) When in appropriate nonvehicular pursuit off campus of any offender or suspected offender who is charged with the commission of a crime while on the premises of Baptist.
(2) To make lawful arrests for crimes committed, or for which there is probable cause to believe have been committed, within the presence of the police officer or within the boundaries of the property owned or operated by Baptist.
Structure Code of Alabama