General Orders Details

Purpose

To provide the Indiana University Police Department (IUPD) with guiding principles regarding the fair and equal treatment of people regardless of age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, socio-economic status, cultural group, disability status or protected veteran status, or any other identifiable group.

General Order

The IUPD strictly prohibits bias-based enforcement activity. All officers will receive training on bias profiling. All complaints of bias enforcement activity will be investigated. An annual review of all complaints will be completed.

Definition

Reasonable Suspicion – more than a mere hunch but is based on a set of articulable facts and circumstances that would warrant a person of reasonable caution to believe that a violation of the law has been committed, is about to be committed, or is in the process of being committed by the person or persons under suspicion. This can be based on the observations of a police officer combined with their training and experience, and/or reliable information received from credible outside sources.

Defining biased policing and/or enforcement (4.1.3 a)

Bias Policing – Enforcement action against an individual or a group based solely on an actual or perceived trait common to a group. This includes but is not limited to age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, socio-economic status, cultural group, disability status or protected veteran status, or any other identifiable group.

• Officers may consider the above listed traits or other characteristic(s) of a specific suspect or suspects based on credible, reliable, locally relevant information that links a person or a specific group to a particular criminal incident or specific series of crimes in an area to a group of individuals of a particular background, or other specific characteristic(s).
• Officers must have a reasonable suspicion, able to be specifically articulated based on the person’s conduct or other specific suspect information, that the person contacted regarding their identification, activity, or location has been, is, or is about to commit a crime; or presents an imminent threat to the safety of themselves or others.

Prohibition of any biased policing (4.1.3 b)

The IUPD strictly prohibits any biased policing including, but not limited to, traffic contacts, field contacts, in asset seizure and forfeiture efforts, or any other enforcement related activity.

Entry-level and annual training (4.1.3 c)

All IUPD employees will receive entry-level, as well as annual, training on the prohibition against biased profiling.

Investigating complaints of biased enforcement activity (4.1.3 d)

A supervisor, upon receipt of information or a complaint of biased enforcement activity or discriminatory practice, will gather initial information and complete a report in the Professional Standards System (PSS). Once the complaint is entered into the PSS, the director for professional standards and education will then evaluate the information and follow appropriate next steps as outlined in G4.2.1 Complaint Investigations. All complaints of biased enforcement activity involving members of the IUPD will be investigated.

Annual review of all investigated complaints (4.1.3 e)

A report of all complaints received in the prior calendar year that allege a violation of this general order will be produced by the director for information technology and systems or their designee and delivered to the superintendent for public safety for review to identify trends or training needs.

The IUPD will retain a written acknowledgement from the superintendent for public safety that the annual report was received and reviewed. (4.1.3 f)

Related Information

Indiana University

• UA-01 Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy

Indiana University Police Department

• G4.2.1 Complaint Investigations

Legal Precedent

• Terry v. Ohio 392 U.S. 1 (1968) – Defines Reasonable Suspicion