Ruling: CCSD Must Release Bodycam Footage

LAS VEGAS — A Clark County judge released a ruling on Monday in favor of ACLU of Nevada in ACLU of Nevada v. Clark County School District, ordering CCSD to release the bodycam videos from a February 9 incident near Durango High School within 30 days, alongside citation information, incident reports, and dispatch logs. The ACLU of Nevada sued for the release of the records after CCSD claimed they were confidential. Today, the court ruled they are public records.

The ACLU of Nevada is still scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning for a status check regarding emails that were considered potentially relevant to the incident.

ACLU of Nevada executive director Athar Haseebullah said:

“For nearly a year, our community has been demanding the release of the bodycam footage related to the February 9 incident near Durango High School. Every step of the way, CCSD has fought to hide these records from the public, an egregious waste of public resources. With the judge’s order today, we can finally look forward to seeing what really happened when our clients were attacked by school district police. As we’ve said on many occasions, if government bodies refuse to act transparently, we will take them to court and leave them no choice but to act transparently.”

ACLU of Nevada legal director Chris Petereson said:

“Our objective in this case was always to represent our client’s interest in fighting for transparency and accountability for themselves and other young people harmed by police violence. We will fight any effort by the government to weaponize privileges against the people that those laws were meant to protect. This ruling is a step in that direction, and we’re pleased to see it. It is impossible to hold the government accountable for misconduct if the government is operating in the shadows."