Bill would let civilian law-enforcement support staff and firefighters seek removal of personal information from public records

The Senate Committee on Government Affairs heard Senate Bill 273, a measure presented by Rick McCann on behalf of multiple public-safety unions, to extend statutory confidentiality protections to civilian employees who provide support services to law-enforcement agencies. The bill would permit such employees to petition courts to remove or redact personal information (home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses) from records maintained by county recorders, county assessors, the Secretary of State and the Department of Motor Vehicles.

McCann told the committee that existing law already permits certain classifications of public employees—1such as judges and sworn officers—to seek redaction for safety reasons and that civilian staff who interact with the public (for example, crime-scene technicians or records personnel) face similar risks. Todd Inglesby, president of Professional Firefighters Nevada, proposed a friendly amendment to add firefighters to the protected categories; committee discussion treated that amendment as acceptable.

Committee members asked how the process would work in practice. McCann and staff said civilians would file a petition with a court similar to existing petition routes; the court would request documentation or sworn statements showing why the removal is warranted. The sponsor described the change as an extension of an existing protection, not an automatic redaction.

Numerous witnesses testified in support. John Abel, representing the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, and multiple union and labor-affiliated witnesses said civilian staff who work in substations, jails, records, 911 and real-time crime centers frequently interact with irate or vulnerable people and face safety risks. Carol Albertson, a retired Metro Police civilian, described being videotaped outside her car and said she feared retaliation. Charmaine Goldstream, an investigative specialist assigned to the Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Center, testified that for months an unknown person sent sexually explicit letters to inmates using her name and disclosed her home address and family details; she described ongoing fear and the personal and family disruptions that followed.

Supporters argued the measure fills a gap between sworn-officer protections and the exposure civilian employees face. Opponents did not appear in force; the committee recorded no opposition witnesses during the hearing. The committee closed the hearing on SB 273 with a proposed friendly amendment to include firefighters; no committee vote was recorded at that time.