Campus police at the University of Windsor might have to re-brand.
The provincial government is working on legislation which, when enacted, will tighten the rules on when services can use the word "police."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General says the Community Safety and Policing Act is expected to clarify the roles of special constables in Ontario.
"It will clearly define their roles and responsibilities as separate and distinct from police officers," says Andrew Morrison. "This includes a prohibition on special constables identifying themselves as police officers and their employers from using the terms “police”, “police service”, “police force” or any similar term to describe their special constables, with defined exceptions."
Morrison, in an email to CTV News, says a number of regulations must first be developed and filed before the act can come into force.
A number of schools have asked about an exemption to the new law.
Officials with the University of Windsor declined to comment on the issue.
Morrison says the ministry has had "a number of productive conversations with its university partners and looks forward to consulting with them and other special constable employers as we move forward."
Special constables perform the same function as police officers. They respond to emergencies, conduct investigations and can arrest people; however, they do not carry firearms.
The Ontario Special Constable Association has recommended that special constables be referred to as peace officers, but that suggestion was not accepted by the provincial government.
