ACLU SoCal v. City of Fresno

In March of 2023, the ACLU sent Public Records Act (PRA) requests to the City of Fresno regarding the city’s use of police canines. The ACLU requested these records due to growing community concerns about the city’s egregious use of police canine force, the serious injuries caused by police canines, and their disproportionate use against communities of color. 

The City of Fresno took several months to respond, and—after some prompting—produced only heavily redacted documents that omitted key information relating to the facts of incidents, injuries sustained, the deputies involved, and the discipline imposed. Most of the reports produced contain block redactions so extensive that it was impossible to determine the nature of the redacted information or any plausible basis for Fresno’s decision to withhold that information. The ACLU made multiple follow-up efforts asking Fresno to comply with its legal obligation to disclose public records, but Fresno refused to comply.   

As a result, on April 22, 2024, the ACLU filed suit, asking the court to compel Fresno to produce all non-exempt requested records and to reproduce previously produced records without improper redactions.