BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The IU Police Department announced Wednesday it will join the growing number of police agencies using body cameras when officers begin to wear them later this school year.
IU made the decision after evaluating feedback from faculty, students, staff, community groups and IU Public Safety staff.
"The use of body-worn cameras is becoming an expected practice by professional police forces like the Indiana University Police Department," said John Applegate, Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs. "With the support of the IU president and other university leaders, I have directed the use of body-worn cameras by IU police officers as a standard operating procedure. It is a powerful way to improve safety and build trust between police and the communities they serve.”
IU police will begin using body cameras at IU Bloomington and IUPUI as they have the largest campus populations, then they will be rolled out to regional campuses over time.
"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 and police chief at IUPD Indianapolis. "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."
