Video of Durango High School incident released

Justin Walker
·2 min read
30

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Body camera video of a Feb. 9 use-of-force incident involving a Clark County School District Police Department officer and a student was released Thursday.

The video, ordered to be released by a district court judge on Dec. 18, shows the viral incident recorded at Durango High School from a new angle. It is an angle not yet seen by the Las Vegas valley community.

<em>Use-of-force incident near Durango High School involving the Clark County School District Police Department and students on Feb. 9, 2023. (CCSDPD)</em>
Use-of-force incident near Durango High School involving the Clark County School District Police Department and students on Feb. 9, 2023. (CCSDPD)

On Wednesday, the Police Officers Association of the Clark County School District (CCSDPOA) said that the video showed the involved officer, Lt. Jason Elfberg, defusing what could have been a “very volatile and dangerous situation.” The union also warned against “the dangers of jumping to a wrong conclusion.”

According to court documents, Elfberg was not disciplined for the actions in the released video. Legal counsel for the ACLU in June released a statement saying Elfberg had “attacked and injured” the student while “screaming vulgarities at other students nearby.

<em>Use-of-force incident near Durango High School involving the Clark County School District Police Department and students on Feb. 9, 2023. A CCSDPD officer is seen explaining what initially took place at the scene to a parent of a student. (CCSDPD)</em>
Use-of-force incident near Durango High School involving the Clark County School District Police Department and students on Feb. 9, 2023. A CCSDPD officer is seen explaining what initially took place at the scene to a parent of a student. (CCSDPD)

“We’ve only done a cursory review of the footage, and we will need to review the bodycam video in-depth with our clients. It’s shameful that it took nearly a year for our clients and our community to see transparency from CCSD and its police force, and it’s now crystal clear from the footage that the narrative that the school district has been peddling, that its officers stopped these teenagers as part of some kind of firearm investigation, has always been an attempt to spin the events and avoid accountability for attacking school children. 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,” Christopher Peterson, Legal Director for the ACLU of Nevada said.

<em>Use-of-force incident near Durango High School involving the Clark County School District Police Department and students on Feb. 9, 2023.</em> <em>A CCSDPD officer was seen instructing students to move away from the scene. (CCSDPD)</em>
Use-of-force incident near Durango High School involving the Clark County School District Police Department and students on Feb. 9, 2023. A CCSDPD officer was seen instructing students to move away from the scene. (CCSDPD)

The ACLU of Nevada is representing two students who were allegedly attacked by CCSD police in February 2023 near Durango High School.

On Friday, the ACLU of Nevada and community advocates will hold a news conference regarding the release of the video.

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