Utah news agencies have renewed their requests for information from Brigham Young University’s campus police, now that legislation confirms that the police department is subject to the state’s public records laws.
SB197 went into effect on Tuesday, specifying that a private university’s police department is considered a governmental entity. That means the police department at BYU, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, must respond to public records requests as any other law enforcement agency would.
“The Tribune has asked for these records from BYUPD before and this is the kind of transparency citizens can and should expect from all law enforcement agencies in the state,” said Tribune editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce.