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

The Eugene, Oregon Police Department charged local news outlet Double Sided Media $2.5 million for public records about officer Justin Peckels, who is accused of misconduct including punching a resident during a traffic stop. The department claimed the search would require over 44,000 hours of staff time and refused to narrow the search scope, arguing it must manually review records of all current and former city employees. The exorbitant fee effectively blocks public access to records about alleged police misconduct that are clearly in the public interest.