Hickory resident tells council police denied public-records request, says state DOJ intervened

Slags Garcia, a Hickory resident, told the City Council on Nov. 4 that the Hickory Police Department and the city—s public-records division denied a public-records request he made by phone and that he had to involve the North Carolina Department of Justice to obtain the records.

"I exercise my First Amendment right in public buildings, libraries, post offices, city facilities. Every time I do, I encounter people with confusion, resistance, and outright hostility," Garcia said during the public-comment period. He said a phone request was refused and that staff told him he must appear in person and complete a special form despite state law allowing requests verbally or in writing.

Garcia said he informed the police chief and the public-records division that denying his request would violate state law, but that compliance only followed after he contacted the North Carolina Department of Justice. "This is not a minor bureaucratic hiccup. This is a systematic failure of accountability and transparency," he said, adding that such practices "exposes the city to lawsuits" and "erodes trust."

City staff and council did not record a formal response or a motion on Garcia—s statement during the meeting. The speaker urged the council to recognize that denying lawful access to public information is unacceptable and said citizens would not "normalize" a lack of accountability.

Background cited by the speaker: Garcia referred to North Carolina public-records requirements (noted in his remarks as "North Carolina's law") and said he contacted the North Carolina Department of Justice; he also framed his comments as an exercise of First Amendment rights. The transcript does not identify any follow-up action taken by the council, and the meeting record does not show a staff report or vote on the matter.