(a) The authority is authorized to exercise such of the police powers of the state as may be necessary to maintain peace and order and to enforce any and all zoning, use, and personal conduct restrictions upon the properties, facilities, and persons under its jurisdiction to the extent that such is lawful under the laws of the United States and this state. The authority may delegate all or any part of the performance of these functions temporarily or permanently to the state or to the county in which its facilities are located.

(b) The authority is authorized to contract for or to provide for and maintain a security force with respect to the facilities and property owned, leased, operated, or under the control of the authority and within the territory thereof. The security force shall have the duty to protect persons and property, disperse unlawful or dangerous assemblages, control pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and otherwise preserve and protect the public peace, health, and safety. For these purposes, a member of such force shall be a peace officer and, as such, shall have authority equivalent to the authority of a law enforcement officer of the county in which he or she is discharging his or her duties.