A Utah judge has ruled that the Brigham Young University Police Department is a governmental entity and should have to comply with Utah’s open-records laws.
In 2016, The Salt Lake Tribune filed a lawsuit, arguing that the BYU police force should be open to public records requests because it has “full-spectrum” law enforcement authority under state law. This means BYU officers may stop, search, arrest and use physical force against people, just as any other sworn officer in the state. But currently BYU police do not face the same requirements for transparency.
The law enforcement arm of the university, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has contended that it is exempt from the state’s Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) because it is part of a private university.