The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently responded to a public records request from Arthur Kane of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which led to an article published on March 20. The article suggested that the DMV is no longer releasing public records. This request aimed to access personal identifying information (PII) for all Nevada driver’s license and ID holders. The DMV denied the request, citing privacy concerns and data security standards.
Deputy Director Angela Smith-Lamb addressed the issue, stating, “While the article poses the question, ‘What is the DMV hiding?’ the agency would like to set the record straight. The DMV is not hiding anything, but we are protecting a lot, and we believe it is for good reason.”
Over the past year, the DMV has released 99% of requested records, with less than 1% being denied. The agency emphasizes its commitment to transparency by releasing records as permitted by law, primarily related to driver, vehicle, and road safety.
Under Director Tonya Laney’s leadership, a significant number of records have been provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. However, due to the scope of this recent request, the DMV concluded that fulfilling it would expose Nevadans to unacceptable security risks such as data interception or redistribution.
Director Tonya Laney commented on their decision: “We take the data security of Nevada citizens very seriously. As we do with any requests that come to our agency requesting data that involves Personal Identifying Information, we review the law…we ultimately determined that any journalistic material that could be prepared does not outweigh the integrity of our agency to protect our citizens.”
The DMV remains committed to safeguarding PII while continuing to provide public records that enhance vehicle and driver safety in Nevada.
