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The Indiana Daily Student

IUPD plans to use body cameras

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The IU Police Department said it plans to implement body-worn cameras at the IU-Bloomington and IUPUI campuses after more than a year of research and discussion, according to an IU release.

The committee that conducted the research included students, police officers, attorneys, faculty with expertise in criminal justice and privacy, IU’s chief privacy officer and IU’s superintendent of public safety.

“We are immensely grateful for the committee’s work and insights on such a complicated issue,” said Bob True, interim superintendent of public safety at IU, in the release. “We also appreciate that body-worn cameras are just a tool. They supplement other, even more important efforts to foster greater community engagement toward and positive relationships between IUPD officers and the communities they serve.”

The committee concluded officers from the IUPD should not record full shifts of work as some other departments do. IUPD officers will be expected to record most contact with the public but may choose to stop the cameras to protect victims and legitimate privacy issues.

IUPD contacted camera vendors for product proposals, but specific hardware, software and storage systems have not yet been selected. True said the department is months away from actual 
implementation.

In accordance with Indiana state law, all video will be kept 190 days or longer, and it will be available to the public.

However, the University may withhold video if it determines release would lead to significant risk of substantial harm to anyone, interfere with a fair trial, affect an ongoing investigation or not serve public interest in some capacity.

IUPD plans to assess use of the cameras annually and conduct a comprehensive review after five years.

[Is it worth it? Bloomington Police Department reflects on the cost and effectiveness of body camera use over the past few years]

Over time, IUPD plans to extend the body-worn cameras to all regional campuses.

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