SIUC officials are refusing to comment on a two-week-old incident involving the seizure of student property or the University’s policy on the matter.

On Sept. 14, Matthew Bowie, a junior studying photojournalism from Kildeer, said he was riding his bicycle when he stopped to photograph SIUC police making an arrest outside of Quigley Hall. An officer threatened Bowie with jail or suspension if he did not surrender the film in his camera, he said.

Police returned the film to Bowie the next day, and some pictures seemed intentionally fogged, photojournalist-in-residence Phil Greer said.

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Photojournalism professors asked the University to clarify its policy on campus police confiscating property from students.

They were told no comment.

“We don’t intend to let this go away,” Greer said. “We want a public acknowledgement that they were wrong.”

The incident prompted Greer, along with photojournalism professor James Kelly and School of Journalism Director Walter Jaehnig, to meet last week with University Police Chief Todd Sigler. The group discussed the policy for film confiscation, not the incident itself, Kelly said.

Sigler revealed no details to the group because of the pending investigation, Greer said. Instead, the meeting focused on cooperation between journalism students and campus police.

Kelly said the outcome was disappointing because the Journalism Department had hoped for a public statement from the University to clarify their policy towards police seizing student property.

“There’s no comment at this time because there is an investigation,” said Cathy Hagler, the executive director of administration, on Thursday.

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Sigler said Thursday that the police investigation depends on the schedules of many people and could not estimate when it would be complete.

Sigler reiterated the film confiscation was the only time in his 20 years at the University where the Journalism Department had expressed concern about the SIUC Police Department’s treatment of students.

Reporter Zack Quaintance can be reached at [email protected]