122C-421. Joint security force.

(a) The Secretary may designate one or more special police officers who shall make up a joint security force to enforce the law of North Carolina and any ordinance or regulation adopted pursuant to G.S. 143-116.6 or G.S. 143-116.7 or pursuant to the authority granted the Department by any other law on the territory of the Black Mountain Center, the Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, and the Juvenile Evaluation Center, all in Buncombe County. After taking the oath of office for law enforcement officers as set out in G.S. 11-11, these special police officers have the same powers as peace officers now vested in sheriffs within the territory embraced by the named centers. These special police officers shall also have the power prescribed by G.S. 7B-1900 outside the territory embraced by the named centers but within the confines of Buncombe County. These special police officers may arrest persons outside the territory of the named centers but within the confines of Buncombe County when the person arrested has committed a criminal offense within that territory, for which the officers could have arrested the person within that territory, and the arrest is made during the person's immediate and continuous flight from that territory.

(b) These special police officers may exercise any and all of the powers enumerated in this Part upon or in pursuit from the property formerly occupied by the Black Mountain Center and transferred to the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety by Senate Bill 388 and House Bill 709 of the 1985 Session of the General Assembly. These special police officers shall exercise said powers upon the property transferred to the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety only by agreement of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health and Human Services.