Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident alleges FOIA refusal on police records; officials advise Attorney General recourse
Summary
During public comment, resident Susan Bray said Deputy Cummings refused to fill a FOIA request for records tied to a 2-year-old incident; police representatives said they do not maintain officers’ personal phone records and cited FOIA balancing tests, and officials advised Ms. Bray to pursue the Illinois Attorney General if dissatisfied.
Susan Bray used the public-comment period at the Oct. 28 Oak Lawn trustees meeting to say she had filed multiple FOIA requests and that Deputy Cummings refused to fill a request connected to an incident from two years earlier.
"I put in a FOIA request and Deputy Cummings refuses to fill it," Bray said. She told trustees she has submitted what she described as "over 30 FOIAs" while trying to determine what happened in the earlier incident.
Village officials and police representatives responded during the meeting that the police department does not maintain the personal records of officers' private phones and that, under FOIA, departments apply balancing tests to determine whether to disclose records. A police representative told Bray the department does not keep personal phone records of officers and therefore there is nothing to provide. Trustees and staff advised Ms. Bray she has the right to appeal to the Illinois Attorney General if she remains dissatisfied.
At several points the exchange grew heated as trustees and police staff pressed for process clarification and urged the resident to pursue the Attorney General if she wished to continue contesting the denial. The board did not take action on the request at the meeting; officials recommended formal appeal channels.
