The Associated Press
UPLAND, Ind. (AP) -- Indiana’s open-records law does not apply to campus police at private universities, according to an advisory opinion issued by the state’s public access counselor.
Michael A. Hurst wrote the opinion in a dispute between Taylor University and a former student who alleged the northern Indiana college violated state law when it refused to release campus police reports.
Hurst’s opinion is not legally binding and serves only to advise the parties on state law.
Justin McLaughlin, a 2003 Taylor graduate now living in Connellsville, Pa., also argued that Taylor’s refusal to disclose such information -- including reports regarding thefts, vandalism and Internet abuse -- hindered public safety.
Hurst said that since Taylor is a private college, its Office of Campus Safety is not a public agency and is not bound under the open records law to disclose police reports.
“The acts of the Office of Campus Safety are not the acts and affairs of state or local government or public officials, they are the acts and affairs of Taylor University,” Hurst wrote.
McLaughlin said Monday he had not yet decided whether to file a lawsuit against the university.