Bloomington, IN – Sep 13, 2023
In a statement released today, Indiana University (IU) acknowledged lapses in policing standards within its Indiana University Bloomington Police Department (IUPD) and pledged corrective actions to address these issues.
The university’s statement revealed that the IUPD had failed to uphold IU’s rigorous standards for pursuing and arresting individuals. The incident in question took place on September 7, 2022, when two IUPD officers responded to a complaint from a parking attendant about an individual who had left the parking lot without paying. Subsequently, the officers located and arrested the individual, but the criminal charges against him were later dismissed. An initial department review, conducted in October 2022 by the former IUPD Police Chief, Jill Lees, had concluded that no wrongdoing had occurred, leading to no further action.
However, the situation took a turn on June 15, 2023, when IU’s administration became aware of the individual’s concerns and complaints following the filing of a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court. IU says it promptly initiated a comprehensive evaluation of all related behaviors, processes, and procedures. According to IU, this secondary review determined that the former IU Police Chief Lees had failed to adhere to mandatory review protocols during the initial 2022 assessment. With the proper review protocols applied, IU found that IUPD policies were, in fact, violated during the incident.
In response to these findings, Indiana University says it has taken the following measures:
- All responsible parties within IUPD have faced disciplinary actions.
- IU has engaged an external consultant to conduct a thorough review of police departments across all IU campuses, with a focus on policies, procedures, practices, cultural norms, and leadership.
- Enhanced training programs on fair and impartial policing, procedural compliance, and field operations are currently underway.
- IU is implementing operational changes in university processes, particularly regarding parking enforcement, to ensure more reasonable responses in similar situations in the future.
- IU pledges to maintain an open dialogue with the community and will inform stakeholders of any additional steps taken to ensure that IUPD operates in alignment with IU’s core values and the highest ethical standards.
Additionally, IU has released unedited footage captured by two IU Bloomington Police officers during the September 7, 2022 incident. Personal-identifiable information has been redacted to comply with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) standards.
The statement:
https://news.iu.edu/live/news/31881-statement-from-indiana-university-regarding-the-indian
Statement from Indiana University regarding the Indiana University Police Department
For Immediate Release Sep 13, 2023
It is with regret that we share that members of our Indiana University Bloomington Police Department (IUPD) failed to apply Indiana University’s (IU) high standards for pursuing and arrest. On September 7, 2022, two IUPD officers responded to a complaint from a parking attendant regarding an individual who left the parking lot without paying. The officers located the individual and arrested him. The criminal charges filed against the individual were later dismissed. An initial and standard department review of the arrest conducted in October 2022 by the former IUPD Police Chief concluded no wrongdoing had occurred and no subsequent action was undertaken.
On June 15, 2023, the IU administration was made aware of the individual’s concerns and complaints following the filing of a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court. Immediately, IU conducted a thorough evaluation of all associated behaviors, processes, and procedures. This secondary review determined that the former IU Police Chief did not follow mandatory review protocols during the initial 2022 review. With the application of the full review protocols, in the summer of 2023, IU determined that IUPD policies were indeed violated during this incident.
In response to the incident, IU has taken the following actions:
- All responsible parties within IUPD have received disciplinary action.
- IU has engaged an external consultant to conduct a thorough review of the police department in Bloomington and on every IU campus to assess policies, procedures, practices, cultural norms, and leadership.
- Enhanced training on fair and impartial policing, procedural compliance, and field operations is underway.
- IU is implementing operational changes to university processes such as parking enforcement, to ensure reasonable responses in the future.
- IU will maintain an open dialogue and inform of any additional steps we may take to ensure that IUPD operates at the highest ethical standards aligned with IU’s core values.
We are deeply saddened by the behavior and actions that took place and offer our sincere apology to the individual and to our community. Indiana University holds our staff, faculty, and leadership to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity, including IUPD.
The following video is a compilation of unedited footage captured by two IU Bloomington Police officers on September 7, 2022. Personally-identifiable information has been redacted to comply with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) standards.
