Public records lawsuits against the police will cost taxpayers $300,000 in WA.

Seattle, WA- Newly obtained documents show the Seattle Police Department is willing to lose hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in lawsuits to keep police records a secret.

The department believes a public records fight over thousands of dash cam videos could carry a heavy price tag this year, according to the city's own internal documents.

SPD sued attorney James Egan after he requested police videos.

Documents Egan obtained show the department may be fighting a losing battle by trying to keep such records secret. He uncovered a city graph that shows since 2007, the city has made a growing number of payouts for failure to release public records.

"That was a surprise," Egan said, "That was a shocker."

The department has already paid out more than $100,000, and this year it expects the amount to nearly triple with a projected loss of at least $300,000.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Documents-show-city-could-pay-out-300K-in-public-records-lawsuits-142563655.html