Paper collects $38,000 from sheriff for lawsuit

by Dennis Welch

Taxpayers have cut a check for nearly $38,000 to a local newspaper because the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office refused to release public records to the paper.

The sheriff's office agreed Tuesday to cover the West Valley View's court costs after the paper had successfully sued the department for failing to respond to a public records request for routine press releases given to all other media.

"It would have been a lot easier to send out the press releases," said Dan Barr, an attorney representing the newspaper.

The sheriff's office stopped sending press releases to the paper in the summer of 2005 because it was unhappy with its coverage of the department.

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