Las Vegas Sun

December 4, 2009

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Letter: Privacy protection has gone too far

Tuesday, July 27, 1999 | 9:58 a.m.

Recently, as I was sitting in my car in a local parking lot waiting for a person to pull out, another vehicle backed into mine and did $850 in damage. The car then sped away, but not before I recorded the Nevada tag number.

Metro Police wouldn't investigate because it was on private property. I could not identify the tag number since the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety would not release the information.

My insurance company told me the motor vehicles department refused to identify the owner because it violated the Privacy of Information Act. This response came from a government department that was identified in your paper as selling personal information in its files to those who would then flood our mail boxes and harass us with telephone calls.

Subsequent phone calls were made to Metro, the motor vehicles department, and the attorney general's office with no success.

The mayor's office said to call the motor vehicles department.

Here I am, holding a hit-and-run driver's tag number. I have the names of two witnesses and copies of accident reports filed with Metro and with the motor vehicles department and still no justice.

Where do I go? What do I do? Do I go to my bank?

Justice seems to be losing its blindfold.

WILLIAM G. FARRAN

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