Private colleges would open police records with state bill
Stephanie Perry
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News
Boston University police records, along with those at private colleges across the state, could soon become public, if a bill approved yesterday by a legislative committee becomes law.
The joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight passed and sent to the Senate a bill that would make public "all records, reports or other documentary materials" kept by the special state police forces that are trained and approved by the state but employed by colleges.
Under current state law, private universities are required only to make public a daily log of police responses, arrest identities and reported crimes. Public university and municipal forces are required to disclose more detailed incident reports and other records to the public.
John Doherty, former board member of Security On Campus, Inc. and a strong supporter of the legislation, called the committee's approval an "incredible victory."
Doherty said a "hard fought, tremendous, behind-the-scenes fight" threatened the bill, and he credited Chairman Antonio Cabral's leadership in approving the bill in committee. During the last legislative session, a similar bill was passed by the Senate but rejected by the House. Legitimate concerns about discouraging students from contacting police about medical and mental health emergencies killed the last bill, Doherty said.
The current bill would require the disclosure of campus police records related to law enforcement, but not medical or personal situations, he said.
Open private college police records will set an "accountability factor" and a standard for both private and public university forces, Doherty said.
"This is really to bring private colleges and universities to eliminate a very dangerous loophole where we think there will be better crime reporting and better information available," he said.
Student journalists have faced challenges when attempting to get police records about on-campus incidents. The Harvard Crimson sued for release of campus police records following a June 2003 request, according to a ruling from the Supreme Judicial Court. Ruling in January 2006, the state's highest court denied the request and said though campus police officers are appointed as special state police officers, campus police departments are not automatically transformed "into an agency of the Commonwealth such that it becomes subject to the mandates of the public records law."
The joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight passed and sent to the Senate a bill that would make public "all records, reports or other documentary materials" kept by the special state police forces that are trained and approved by the state but employed by colleges.
Under current state law, private universities are required only to make public a daily log of police responses, arrest identities and reported crimes. Public university and municipal forces are required to disclose more detailed incident reports and other records to the public.
John Doherty, former board member of Security On Campus, Inc. and a strong supporter of the legislation, called the committee's approval an "incredible victory."
Doherty said a "hard fought, tremendous, behind-the-scenes fight" threatened the bill, and he credited Chairman Antonio Cabral's leadership in approving the bill in committee. During the last legislative session, a similar bill was passed by the Senate but rejected by the House. Legitimate concerns about discouraging students from contacting police about medical and mental health emergencies killed the last bill, Doherty said.
The current bill would require the disclosure of campus police records related to law enforcement, but not medical or personal situations, he said.
Open private college police records will set an "accountability factor" and a standard for both private and public university forces, Doherty said.
"This is really to bring private colleges and universities to eliminate a very dangerous loophole where we think there will be better crime reporting and better information available," he said.
Student journalists have faced challenges when attempting to get police records about on-campus incidents. The Harvard Crimson sued for release of campus police records following a June 2003 request, according to a ruling from the Supreme Judicial Court. Ruling in January 2006, the state's highest court denied the request and said though campus police officers are appointed as special state police officers, campus police departments are not automatically transformed "into an agency of the Commonwealth such that it becomes subject to the mandates of the public records law."
Be the first to comment on this story