American Civil Liberties Union v. LaCabe

This lawsuit, filed under Colorado’s open records laws, seeks an order that Denver disclose records related to budgeting for and purchase of police equipment such as “less lethal” weapons dating back to January 2007, when Denver was selected as the host city for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

The lawsuit notes that the federal government has allocated $50 million to reimburse Denver for security-related expenses in connection with the convention, and that Denver officials have said that $18 million of that money is budgeted for purchases of equipment.

In responding to the ACLU’s request for records, the Records Coordinator for the Department of Safety refused to disclose almost all of the requested information. The stated grounds were that disclosure “could potentially disclose tactical security information of the Denver Police Department which would be contrary to the public interest.”

The lawsuit contends that the Colorado legislature addressed this issue in 2005. At that time, it added a provision to the open records laws stating that documents related to the budgeting and expenditure of public funds on security-related matters must be disclosed. The only exception allows deleting or redacting only those portions of the records that contain “specialized details of security arrangements.”

"Denver should provide more details of security spending" Rocky Mountain News Editorial, July 25, 2008

"City details $18 million in DNC security costs," The Denver Post, July 23, 2008

“City keeps security tools close to its vest,” The Denver Post, July 23, 2008

"ACLU sues Denver for security Equipment details ahead of DNC," Democracy Now, June 30, 2008

"ACLU sues to open records on DNC security equipment," The Denver Post, May 28, 2008

"Denver sued for info on DNC security gear," The Denver Post, May 28, 2008

“ACLU files new lawsuit on security gear buys for DNC convention,” Colorado Independent, May 28, 2008