Journalism Alum Nashelly Chavez Discusses Struggles Obtaining Crime Data

SACRAMENTO BEE -- At the California State Fair, when cops reporter Nashelly Chavez stopped by Cal Expo police headquarters to check arrest logs, she was advised to file a Public Records Act request. She had to do the same for basic information on the number of employees and crime statistics.

“If you were to go to San Francisco State’s Police Department or the Sacramento Police Department, you can find this out” immediately, said Chavez, an SF State alumna. At Cal Expo, “I had to PRA it. They just said they were going to take my request and forward it to their lawyer.”