Las Vegas police fight release of 911 calls, hundreds of hours of video

Last week, the New York Times published a video compilation of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock on surveillance footage at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in the days leading up to the deadly October 1 massacre.

The footage, released to the newspaper by MGM resorts, was the most detailed look so far at Paddock’s movements in the days before the mass shooting and his own suicide. The footage shows largely unremarkable behavior — outside of Paddock bringing in nearly two dozen bags over the course of several days — and gives little hint as to his state of mind.

And according to the Los Angeles Times, the footage is only a small fraction of recordings connected to the massacre. Law enforcement reportedly has nearly 750 hours of police bodycam footage and 2,000 911 calls from October 1.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has been fighting the requested release of the footage and audio from several media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times. Last week, the police department was granted a request for a new judge to hear the case after District Court Judge Richard Scotti ruled on March 2 that the department had to release the requested footage and 911 recordings.

Jackie Nichols, an attorney for the LVMPD, reportedly wrote that Judge Scotti’s decision was “clearly erroneous because the government’s interest in non-disclosure significantly outweighs any interest the public has in access.”

The department is also arguing that the release of the material will require extraordinary manpower and could take several months or more to complete, at a cost of roughly $500,000 — an amount that Judge Scotti reportedly said was unreasonable.

The next hearing for the release of the footage and the 911 calls is set for late April.

 

 

 

[Feature image: Associated Press]