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Freeport council creates police FOIA officer and part-time FOIA clerk amid rising requests and debate over centralizing records
Summary
After months of increasing open-records workload, the council approved a full-time FOIA officer in the police department and a part-time FOIA/Deputy Clerk position to support the City Clerk’s office; votes (full-time FOIA officer 5–3, part-time clerk adopted after suspension votes) followed debate about centralizing records and oversight.
The Freeport City Council approved two new positions to handle a surge in Freedom of Information Act requests across city departments: a full-time FOIA officer housed in the police department and a part-time deputy clerk/FOIA clerk in the City Clerk’s office.
Chief Rosto told council that police officers had been answering FOIA requests and that the department had seen a sharp increase in volume: "As of year-to-date from January 1st to April 3rd 173 requests," he said, arguing a dedicated administrative position would let sworn personnel focus on public-safety duties.
Attorney Zito noted the ordinance packet initially left the class grade blank; council amended the motion to specify a class‑grade 12 for the position before final passage. The full-time FOIA officer ordinance (2026‑22) passed 5–3 after debate about centralizing FOIA processing.
Council then approved a part-time deputy FOIA clerk for the City Clerk's office (ordinance 2026‑23). The City Clerk told council the office had processed 213 FOIA requests in 2025 — a roughly 30% increase over 2024 — and that contract and records workload had grown substantially in recent years. "A total of 213 FOIA requests were processed in 2025," the clerk said, arguing additional staff would reduce liability exposure and help the city meet statutory duties.
Several aldermen, including Alderman Sanders, raised concerns about concentrating FOIA authority in a single department and asked for assurance about transparency and access. Chief Rosto and the clerk responded that historically departments sometimes handled FOIAs for their own records (police, fire, library), that these new roles are intended to professionalize record processing and that the police position's funding would come from the police department budget within the general fund.
Both ordinances advanced; the full-time FOIA officer passed 5–3 and the part-time deputy clerk position passed following suspension and final roll calls.
