Public Information Requests

Public Information Act (Open Records)

Dallas Baptist University is not subject to the Texas Public Information Act because it is not a “government body” as defined by the Texas Government Code. During the 84th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 308 was passed that states in part: “A campus police department of a private institution of higher education is a law enforcement agency and a governmental body for purposes of Chapter 552, Government Code, only with respect to information relating solely to law enforcement activities."

The Dallas Baptist University Police Department (DBUPD) complies with the Texas Public Information Act by making available those records related solely to law enforcement activities. The Dallas Baptist University Police Department is not required to and will not release any record not related to law enforcement activities.

Before submitting a request for a police report, please be aware that a criminal incident report is not considered public information and will not normally be released unless the case was closed by conviction or deferred adjudication.

If the criminal case was not closed by conviction and you submit an Open Records request for the entire report, your request will likely be forwarded to the Texas Attorney General's Office for a ruling as to whether or not we can release the full report.

Procedure

The Dallas Baptist University Police Department is the repository of all records related to law enforcement activities and is responsible for responding to all open records requests. The DBUPD Office is open Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with the exception of holidays in which campus is closed. The office will also be closed during any closure of the campus due to weather or other emergencies.

Public Information Requests must be made to the DBU Police Department. Requests must be in writing and can be submitted using any of the methods listed below:

In Person*

Chief Havens, Dr. Bradley Mulhollen, Isabelle Howard

Dallas Baptist University Police Department
Mahler Student Center
3000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211

By Email*

publicrecordsrequest@dbu.edu

By Mail*

Chief Havens, Dr. Bradley Mulhollen, Isabelle Howard

Public Information Act
c/o Isabelle Howard
Mahler Student Center
3000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211

*To expedite your request please consider using the Dallas Baptist University Public Information Request Form.

What Your Request Should Include

All requests must be in writing and should include the following information:

  1. Your name
  2. Mailing address or Email address (so we can send you a response)
  3. Your phone number (so we can contact you with questions about how to respond to your request)
  4. A list or description of the specific information you are interested in obtaining, preferably with dates. Try to be as specific as possible about the information you are seeking, and please remember it must relate solely to law enforcement activities. This will assist us in expediting your request.
  5. If requesting body camera footage, the following information is required per Section 1701.661 of the Texas Occupations Code, for body-camera recordings. If the information is not provided, we will not be able to produce the body camera recordings:
    • Date & Approximate Time Of Offense
    • Specific Location Of Offense
    • Names Of One Or More Persons Known To Be A Subject of the Recording

We will request that you use the Dallas Baptist University Public Information Request Form to help us process your request.

The Response to Your Request

The Police Department will review all written requests for public information and respond as promptly as possible. In response to a request, the Police Department may:

1) Inform the requestor that the information cannot be immediately provided and set a date and time to provide it within a reasonable time;

2) Request a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding any information that the Dallas Baptist University Police Department has a question about whether the information comes within the terms of, or is exempt from, the Public Information Act, and send a copy of the request for ruling, or a redacted copy, to the requestor. Please be aware that the Public Information Act provides several exemptions for law enforcement records. These exemptions can be reviewed in the Attorney General's 2016 Public Information Act Handbook;

3) Segregate public information from information that may be withheld and provide that public information promptly.

How to Find Additional Information About the Act

For more information about the Act, you may wish to refer to the 2014 Public Information Act Handbook published by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG) or the OAG's Texas Public Information Act poster (or view the poster in Spanish).

Contact DBUPD

Physical Address

Mahler Student Center
3000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211

Mailing Address

Dallas Baptist University Police Department
Mahler Student Center
3000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211

Phone Number: (214) 333-5555