The University of Notre Dame Police Department can no longer operate in secret, according a ruling by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
In its decision on Tuesday, the appellate court reversed a lower court's ruling that the police department was exempt from complying with state open records laws because it is affiliated with a private institution.
Tuesday's ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by ESPN investigative reporter Paula Lavigne. Lavigne and ESPN filed a series of public records requests beginning in September 2014 seeking incident reports involving 275 Notre Dame football and men's basketball players from 2009-14.