New ACLU of Nevada case targets illegal fees for public records

LAS VEGAS – The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada is suing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for imposing excessive fees on public records requestors.

In the lawsuit filed Thursday in state court, the nonpartisan civil rights group is representing itself, a Nevada law firm, and news organizations. Each organization encountered different barriers and fine amounts to get ahold of public records, especially for bodycam footage, and their experiences demonstrate that Las Vegas police are willfully violating the Nevada Public Records Act, the ACLU of Nevada argues.

Editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project Jennifer Peter (she/her) said:

“This case is about government transparency. When agencies over-charge for records or charge excessive fees, it becomes hard to hold government accountable. We joined this lawsuit not only so our reporters can have reasonable access to important police records, but so that anyone among the public can get the records they’re entitled to.”

ACLU of Nevada executive director Athar Haseebullah (he/him) said:

“The government willfully passes on regular operating costs to public records requestors by charging for staff time, and most entities consistently overcharge for basic items, charge different rates for different requestors at different times, and have required advance deposits to even start processing requests for records the public is entitled to. We cannot have government accountability without government transparency, and barriers to government transparency put up by government agencies continue to make government less accountable. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, Republican, or non-partisan, nor if you’re on the left, center, or right. All Nevadans deserve open and transparent government.”