GoKawiilEugene Police Demand $2.5 Million to Fulfill Records Request on Officer Justin Peckels
The Eugene, Oregon Police Department told local outlet Double Sided Media it would cost roughly $2.48 million and take more than 44,800 staff hours to process a public records request about officer Justin Peckels, who has faced misconduct complaints including punching a resident during a traffic stop. A separate request about former officer Eric Klinko drew a $195,869.52 estimate, bringing the combined total for both requests to nearly $2.7 million. The department said work would resume once payment is received.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Fee estimates this large can function as a practical barrier to public oversight, since few newsrooms can pay millions of dollars for records tied to a single officer's conduct. The scale of the figure raises questions, voiced by press advocates, about whether public agencies are using cost estimates to discourage scrutiny rather than genuinely reflecting retrieval effort. Cases like this could fuel broader debate over how public records fee laws should be applied to police accountability requests.
- Eugene PD quoted Double Sided Media $2,484,599.04 for records on officer Justin Peckels, citing 44,816 staff hours.
- A related request about ex-officer Eric Klinko was priced at $195,869.52, totaling nearly $2.7 million for both.
- Peckels has faced community complaints, including allegedly punching a resident in the face during a traffic stop.
Source: theintercept.com — Lauren Harper, 2026-10-25
Published there as: “Oregon Police Are Charging a Local News Outlet $2.5M for Records About One Cop”
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