Oregon Police Are Charging a Local News Outlet $2.5M for Records About One Cop
Oregon’s Eugene Police Department is demanding roughly $2.5 million and an estimated 44,816 staff hours to fulfill public-records requests about misconduct by a single officer, prompting accusations that the fee is a deliberate barrier to transparency. Commenters compare this to broader patterns of U.S. agencies slow-walking, overcharging for, or outright obstructing FOIA and state-level records requests, often citing understaffing or redaction burdens. Many see these practices as symptomatic of deeper institutional corruption and weak enforcement of open-records laws, especially around police accountability.
Scale and Plausibility of the Fee
- Commenters highlight that 44,816 staff hours (~21 person-years) and ~$2.48M for one officer’s records is “beyond absurd,” inviting litigation to compel production.
- A separate request for another officer was quoted at ~$196k; some note the main request covers ~8 years vs <1 year, roughly 12x longer.
Scope of the Request
- Follow-up reporting (linked in the thread) says the outlet requested:
- All sustained internal affairs materials (complaints, logs, evidence, discipline) for officer Justin Peckels over ~8 years.
- All internal/external communications by executive staff (chief, deputy) about his misconduct investigations and discipline over the same period.
- Police reportedly claimed ~2.6M potentially responsive documents.
Is the Estimate Justified?
- Some argue the time sink is redaction and the breadth of “all correspondence over 8 years,” which often means reading or scanning every email.
- Others insist 21 person-years for one officer’s records is indefensible and an obvious deterrent tactic.
Evidence of Obstruction
- Several participants with government experience say agencies explicitly discuss:
- Overcharging, slow-walking, or fragmenting releases.
- Inventing spurious legal objections that will fail if challenged but buy months/years.
- Using retention policies and parallel systems to keep sensitive records out of FOIA reach.
- Others counter that some delays stem from under-staffing, unclear guidance, and FOIA work falling outside anyone’s formal role; critics respond that failing to staff a legal duty is itself deliberate.
Comparisons and Pattern
- Numerous anecdotes: school districts, police, transit agencies, NSA, NYC, DoD (one DoD FOIA estimate: 15M hours, $660M) using delay, cost, or minimal disclosure.
- UK/EU commenters describe more robust access regimes, though others note UK compliance is also eroding.
Democratic and Structural Concerns
- Many see this as part of broader institutional corruption and police unaccountability, especially where police can politically punish officials who challenge them.
- Some question whether voting alone can fix this; others point to lawsuits, elected attorneys general, public pressure at meetings, and better FOIA infrastructure (including AI tools) as partial remedies.