An Indiana judge has ruled that the Notre Dame’s police department is NOT subject to Indiana’s open records laws, saying that is how the law has been understood for years and it would not be appropriate for the court to rewrite the statute. Still, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Steven Hostetler says the case might cause the Legislature to consider the issue, writing: “ESPN makes persuasive policy arguments.” The sports cable network had argued that a police department with the power to arrest should be subject to public scrutiny. It filed suit earlier this year alleging the private school was violating Indiana’s public record laws by withholding police incident reports about possible campus crimes involving certain student-athletes.
