When reporters or members of the public make inquiries, they are, more often than not, told, “Brigham Young University and its University Police are not subject to GRAMA.”
The Salt Lake Tribune has filed a suit against the police department, and a judge recently opined that she believed BYU should be subject to GRAMA requirements, stating in her opinion, “... the court concludes that BYUPD is a governmental entity for purposes of GRAMA because it is an agency of the state or a political subdivision established by the government to carry out the public’s business of policing". The finalized court ruling is expected to be made on May 14.
But I think the problem is that the request should have been made under GRANPA.
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.”
― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1951
If BYU police handles crimes which can be prosecuted by the City of Provo or the State then they are a public entity and should be subject to the same rules as the Provo Police Dept, But if the Provo Police Dept handles the crimes on the BYU campus then the BYU police are just security guards. In California for example, the Police Departments on Cal State campuses and University of California campuses are POST (Peace Officer Standard Training) certified officers and someone attending a police academy may see a few of their cadets/recruits in the seats next to them.
karl61 wrote:In California for example, the Police Departments on Cal State campuses and University of California campuses are POST (Peace Officer Standard Training) certified officers and someone attending a police academy may see a few of their cadets/recruits in the seats next to them.
Just like the interrogation officials at the Guantanamo Detention Facility may see members of the BYU Honors Committee seated in training next to them.