Thursday, May 19, 2005 | 8:56 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- The Senate Government Affairs Committee voted 6-1 Wednesday to close certain public records to the public but allow journalists access to the records for news stories.
Assembly Bill 142 allows peace officers and judges to request the information on their addresses, telephone numbers and photographs in the records of the county assessor's office be kept confidential.
In testimony May 2, police officials cited a case in Las Vegas in which a gang member had obtained the address of a law enforcement officer and that officer and his family had to move because of the potential threat.
Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, the chairman of the committee, said peace officers sign up and put their lives on the line. But that doesn't include the lives of their families, he said.
"I don't know why we want to endanger his family," Hardy said.
The bill, sought by the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, would permit law enforcement officers and judges to seek a court order to keep their names confidential in the assessor's office. The surviving spouse and child of an officer or judge killed in the line of duty could also request this information be confidential.
Under an amendment submitted by Ken Lauer of the Nevada Press Association, the judge or police officer would have to provide "sufficient justification for the confidentiality request."
The amendment would also permit journalists to have access to the information. AB142 already permitted government agencies or private investigators to get the information for cases.
It would permit the assessor to deny the access to the information if the assessor believes it will be used "in an unauthorized manner." A person who makes a false representation of his status to obtain the information or disclose the information illegally would be guilty of a misdemeanor. It provides that a person who discloses this information knowing that a judge or police officer may be put in jeopardy may also be assessed a civil penalty of $2,500 in addition to the misdemeanor charge.
Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, objected to the bill. He said these have traditionally been public records. Care, an attorney and former television reporter, also said the assessor would have the power to stop a newsman from getting access to the records. He said there might be a case in which an unfavorable story appeared about the assessor who could then deny the information.
"This is setting a dangerous precedent," he said.
The committee also approved, with Care dissenting, Assembly Bill 31 to prohibit the disclosure of names, addresses and telephone numbers and other personal information from records of persons signed up in recreation or instructional activities with local governments.
Lauer and Las Vegas agreed to an amendment to permit a reporter to have access to the information for a story. An attorney would also be allowed to have the information in preparing a suit.
The bill also prohibits a local government from requiring a Social Security number of the participant unless it is required by state or federal law.
Both bills go to the Senate for a vote, sometime next week.
archive
