State Police leader confirms officers with 'sniper capabilities' were on rooftop at IU protests

The leader of the Indiana State Police confirmed Monday that state troopers with sniper capabilities had been positioned on rooftops near pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Indiana University.

ISP Superintendent Doug Carter said during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show that officers had taken up "over-watch positions" near Dunn Meadow, where police have used riot shields and zip ties to detain more than 50 protesters since Thursday.

Images of what appeared to be a sniper on the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union went viral on social media, prompting outrage from demonstrators and their supporters. The sniper's presence has been cited in criticism of IU administrators from Bloomington-area state lawmakers and in a petition from IU faculty members calling for the resignation of IU President Pamela Whitten. The petition had attracted more than 700 signatures as of Monday.

During his appearance on WIBC's "Tony Katz Today," Carter defended the decision to position troopers with rifles on rooftops.

"Those weren't intended to be sniper positions. They were over-watch positions," he said, later adding, "Did they have sniper capabilities? Yes, they did. But the analogy that we're going to create another Kent State was completely disingenuous and not truthful."

"You don't have to look very far in this country, unfortunately, to see acts of mass violence," he said. "And I think I would have deserved criticism had that attempt been made by one of the people, some of them that have been radicalized, that decide they're going to cause harm to as many people as possible. And the only way to have dealt with that would have been from above."

'Serious First Amendment problem': A day before protests, IU changed a free assembly policy

Carter said his agency could have done a better job communicating.

"I think we could have done a better job there. We've learned from this," he said. "We've learned from what the perception might be to some people. So I hear that loud and clear.“

IU administrators requested State Police to clear encampments at Dunn Meadow, where demonstrators have set up tents and other temporary structures. The first wave of arrests on Thursday came one day after IU administrators quietly adopted a policy prohibiting such structures.

Carter said he heard what he called antisemitic "hate speech" as he interacted with people at the Dunn Meadow encampment on Saturday morning. He said troopers gave plenty of warning before advancing on the camp and forcefully throwing some protesters to the ground before arresting them.

"We had troopers injured," Carter said. "We had one trooper with a very badly broken finger. We had one trooper with a bunch of skin bitten out of his forearm."

Catch up on the news: Indiana University Bloomington protests continued through the weekend

The sudden adoption of the policy — alongside what critics have described as a "militarized" police presence — have led groups including the Indiana ACLU, the IU Media School faculty and members of Bloomington City Council. to condemn the arrests of protesters.

"The large number of police officers, the weapons displayed and used by the officers, and their forceful actions to arrest protesters only served to escalate the situation," city council members wrote. "Their violent response to peaceful protest is unacceptable."

Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on X: @IndyStarTony.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Officers with 'sniper capabilities' were at IU protests, ISP leader says