CCSD releases police body camera video of viral incident near Durango High

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada released footage Thursday night from an incident involving a Clark County School District Police Department officer at Durango High School last year.

The footage shows a Feb. 9 incident that the school district said stemmed from a report about a firearm near the high school.

On Dec. 18, District Judge Danielle Chio ordered the Clark County School District to release the body camera footage by Jan. 17–10 months after the incident — after the ACLU of Nevada sued the district for the release of the records.

Chio wrote at the time that the body-worn camera footage should be released because prosecutors did not pursue a case against the juvenile who was cited, and because the juveniles’ parents signed a release waiver that was filed with the court.

In a statement released Thursday evening, ACLU of Nevada Legal Director Chris Peterson criticized the district for taking so long to release the footage.

“It’s shameful that it took nearly a year for our clients and our community to see transparency from CCSD and its police force,” he said in the release. “Bodycams were always meant to be a tool for the people to make sure our police are acting responsibly in our community, and moving forward, we will keep fighting for the other public records we’re seeking and considering all legal options for making sure there is justice for our clients.”

The ACLU will hold a press conference at its office, 4362 W. Cheyenne Ave., at 10 a.m. Friday, according to the statement.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal had requested an incident report from the district in February 2023, along with body camera footage and any prior complaints about the involved officer, Lt. Jason Elfberg. However, the district declined to provide the records nearly three weeks after the request was made, and argued it would impede an ongoing investigation.

CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara issued a statement after the February incident, saying he would direct school police to review its use-of-force policy, the Review-Journal reported at the time.

One part of the redacted video released Thursday shows an officer putting cuffs on two male students, the first for alleged jaywalking on the street and the second one for resisting arrest.

The officer tells the second student, who is holding a mobile phone as if to film the scene, to move on, to which the student says “No!” and “Don’t touch me,” and the officer then brings him down to the sidewalk to place him in cuffs.

Tensions then rose when the first student’s mother arrives, screaming and arguing with the officer and the kid’s father also objects, and then the officer explains that the boy would not be charged but that a second student would be cited for resisting arrest.

“I’m actually here for your safety,” the officer told them. “I want to make sure you’re not the next kid to get shot.”

The officer explained to the second student that he was detained for resisting because he pulled his arms away while the officer tried to cuff him, and the student admits that he did pull his arms away.

The ACLU sued the school district after a video posted to social media in February appeared to show district police officer Lt. Jason Elfberg pushing a Black student onto the ground and putting a knee onto the student’s back.

The student had been recording the arrest of other juveniles, the ACLU has said, and the district has stated the confrontation stemmed from an investigation into a report of a firearm near the school.

Though the cellphone footage had already been posted online, the ACLU said that the body-worn camera footage should show that the student had a First Amendment right to film the officer.