Oregon Police Are Charging a Local News Outlet $2.5M for Records About One Cop

What happened

Double Sided Media asked for records about police officer Justin Peckels. The records covered possible misconduct from 2018 to 2026. Peckels has faced community complaints, including one for punching a resident during a traffic stop. The Eugene Police Department replied that the search would cost about $2.48 million. The city wants the money paid before it will hand over the records.

Key numbers

• Estimated cost for the Peckels request: about $2,484,599.04
• Estimated staff time: at least 44,816 hours
• Estimated cost for a second request about former officer Eric Klinko: about $195,869.52
• Total for both requests: nearly $2.7 million

Why the price is so high

The city said it could not narrow which workers to search. So it said it must check the records of all city employees, past and present. The article says this is not how public records work. Agencies are normally expected to search only the people most likely to have the records. The outlet says the city could have asked it for help finding them instead.

Why it matters

Public records laws let people check on the government and the police. If a fee is high enough, it can stop reporters from getting the facts. The author says the high cost looks like an effort to scare the journalist into giving up. The author also points out that the police spent $342,000 on AI license plate cameras, yet the city says it cannot afford better search tools.

What to watch

• Whether the city lowers the estimated cost
• Whether Double Sided Media pays, negotiates, or challenges the fee
• Whether the ACLU of Oregon or others take action on the records