Campus police could soon be subject to public records laws
Mar 12, 2019, 12:45 PM | Updated: 12:45 pm
BYU Police Department vehicles outside the department offices on the BYU campus in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill headed to the desk of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert would require campus police agencies to be subject to the state’s public records law.
With the approval of the Utah House of Representatives, S.B. 197 clarifies that university law enforcement like the BYU Police Department would be included in the state’s definition of law enforcement agencies. It needs the governor’s signature before it can become law.
State officials announced their intention to decertify the BYU Police Department last month. The decision came as the result of an investigation into whether the campus police department was improperly sharing information with the school’s Title IX and Honor Code offices.
The agency is still active while it appeals the decision, which it has until Sept. 1 to do.
