JEFFERSON CITY, MO — The Missouri Press Association and the Missouri Broadcasters Association have taken the Missouri State Highway Patrol to court, accusing the agency of unlawfully blacking out names and other details in crash reports. The petition, filed in Cole County Circuit Court, says Missourians have long had access to these records and should still be able to see them.

The case also includes Gray Local Media, Warden Publishing Company and managing editor Roxie Murphy. Together, the plaintiffs are asking a judge to order the patrol to provide full, unredacted reports and restore online access to the complete records.

How the patrol’s crash report policy changed

For years, the patrol posted traffic and boating crash reports online without redactions. According to the petition, its own website once said that all information in crash reports was considered an open record and could not be withheld from the public.

The lawsuit says that changed sometime in 2024, when the patrol began removing names and other identifying information from the reports. That included the names of people killed in crashes, both in the online database and in responses to records requests.

The plaintiffs argue that the shift conflicts with Missouri’s Sunshine Law, which they say treats these incident reports as open records. They contend the new practice has limited access to information the public had received for decades.

Why journalists say the records matter to the public

The news organizations say crash reports do more than satisfy curiosity. They help communities learn who was injured or killed, allow families and neighbors to get accurate details, and can point to dangerous roads or intersections that deserve attention.

Journalists have also used the unredacted reports to verify the identities of people who died on Missouri roads and to report on vehicle safety and public safety concerns. The plaintiffs say that without complete records, it becomes much harder to tell Missourians what is happening in their own towns and counties.

They also argue that public oversight suffers when state agencies can hide names and key details from records that have traditionally been open to review.

What the petition asks a judge to order

The petition asks the court to require the patrol to turn over full, unredacted crash reports and to restore complete public access online. It also seeks civil penalties and attorney’s fees.

That request places the dispute squarely before the Cole County Circuit Court, where the associations are asking a judge to decide whether the patrol can continue withholding names and other details from the records.

The filing frames the issue as a public-records fight, not a dispute over any single crash. Instead, it challenges the patrol’s broader policy change and its effect on all future requests for those reports.

Press and broadcasters say Missourians are being left in the dark

Chad Stebbins, executive director of the Missouri Press Association, said Missourians had the right to see these records for decades and that the right did not disappear when the patrol changed its policy on its own.

He said the associations are standing up for residents who deserve to understand safety issues on the roads they use every day. Stebbins added that when the government blacks out the name of someone killed on a public road, an entire community is kept from the facts.

His comments reflect the argument that the records are not just administrative documents, but essential public information tied to roadway safety and accountability.

Stations say viewers and listeners want timely crash information

Chad Mahoney, president and CEO of the Missouri Broadcasters Association, said people have contacted member stations upset that they did not know a neighbor or well-known community member had been in a crash. He said those reactions show how strongly people rely on timely, accurate reporting about events on Missouri roads and waterways.

Mahoney said broadcasters are asking the court to restore the access residents have long had. The associations argue that public safety reporting works best when newsrooms can confirm identities and details from the official records that have traditionally been open.

The lawsuit now puts the patrol’s redaction policy under judicial review, with the outcome likely to affect how much crash information Missourians can see going forward.