A recent policy shift at Grand Island City Hall has significantly reduced the amount of crime information available to the public and the media. Beginning last week, the Grand Island Police Department stopped releasing the names of individuals arrested on felony charges—a major departure from the city’s longstanding practice of providing detailed daily felony reports. The reports, previously emailed to local media and posted online with full arrest information, now list suspects only by age and gender. Reporters have also been instructed not to contact police directly with questions and instead route inquiries through the city’s communications manager, Spencer Schubert.
City officials say the change is intended to protect the presumption of innocence for those arrested but not yet formally charged. According to the city, names will now only be available once charges are filed in court, typically at the 11 a.m. daily prisoner hearings. However, journalists note that judges do not clearly state full identifying information, and official records can be delayed on the Nebraska Judicial Branch website. Reporters who attempt to obtain incident reports through the county clerk or the police records division face additional challenges, including fees that could cost news organizations hundreds of dollars monthly.
Media advocates and legal experts have raised concerns, pointing to Nebraska statute 29-3521, which specifies that arrest records, police blotters, and incident reports are public information. Critics argue the new policy breaks with transparency norms, complicates access to critical information, and forces communication through a single city office rather than through law enforcement personnel. The Grand Island Independent reports that multiple attempts to contact the city administrator, city attorney, and mayor about the change went unanswered.
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