Snyder voluntarily went to the Bloomington Police Department around 1 p.m. Jan. 21 and declined to make any statements to investigators, Cpt. Joe Qualters said.
Snyder was arrested in connection with the theft of a police officer’s body camera during the #ReclaimMLK protest near the College Mall. The protest occurred Monday and blocked traffic at all four corners of the Third Street and College Mall Road ?intersections.
The camera fell off of his uniform as he was attempting to arrest a combative protester who had assaulted him, according to a Facebook post from BPD. Another officer’s body camera captured video of Snyder kneeling on the ground to pick up the camera. The BPD used an image of the reported theft to ask the public for help in identifying Snyder.
“I think that without it we wouldn’t be where we were today as far as having made an arrest so quickly,” Qualters said. “I think the fact that we had that shot from the body cam — the fact that we were able to publicize it not only through local media, but also social media — I think that, again, that’s what allowed us to clear up this investigation. To pursue the investigation to the point that we were able to make an arrest.”
BPD often uses its Facebook account for “Turn ‘Em in Tuesdays,” a virtual weekly “wanted” sign that the BPD posts to its page, asking followers for help in suspect identification.
Cpt. Qualters said the BPD’s Facebook post of the image of Snyder at the ?protest had been viewed by more than 22,000 people by Wednesday afternoon.
“That kind of a reach, if you will, is pretty significant,” he said. “We received probably at least 10 tips that identified this individual, so very, very helpful.”
The identification and subsequent arrest of Snyder were directly attributed to tips and information from the public, according to a release from the BPD.
The body camera has not been located and its whereabouts are a part of the ongoing investigation. The reporter tried to reach Snyder for comment. Neither of the two phone calls were returned.
Body cam features
- 5 hours of battery life
- 16 GB storage
- 12 hours recording capacity
- Digital signature security
- 3 1/2 min. download for HD
- 1 1/2 min. download for SD
