https://illinoisfoia.org/exemptions/7-1-v/ 2026-06-09T00:00:00Z https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/10-001-2/ 2026-06-09T00:00:00Z

This document is not a legal decision, but rather a master list or index of all binding opinions issued by the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor since 2010. It is intended to help the public and legal professionals find specific past rulings on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) issues.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-83705/ 2026-04-23T00:00:00Z

Under FOIA, a public body must prove by clear and convincing evidence that an exemption applies. The Sheriff's Office claimed that ALPR camera location records were exempt under section 7(1)(d-7) (law enforcement security measures) and 7(1)(v) (vulnerability assessments). However, the PAC found that the Sheriff's Office failed to provide specific facts showing that disclosing the locations would actually increase the risk of attacks or compromise security measures. Because the Sheriff's Office d

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-84026/ 2025-07-29T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested security camera footage from the Springfield Police Department, but the Department refused to release it, claiming it was exempt as a security measure. The Attorney General's office reviewed the request and determined that the Department did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the camera was a specialized security tool designed to prevent attacks, rather than a general monitoring device. The source document does not state any order or directive to release the footage; it

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-81643/ 2025-06-24T00:00:00Z

A requester asked a school district for documents about their 'Tip Line' policies and security procedures. The school district withheld some documents, claiming they contained sensitive security information. The Attorney General's office reviewed the documents and agreed that the school district was allowed to keep them private to protect security protocols.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-82252/ 2025-02-14T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested a risk assessment report regarding stable buildings from the Palatine Park District, but the District refused to release it. The Attorney General's office reviewed the document and agreed that it is exempt from disclosure under state law. Consequently, the District was not required to provide the record.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-82465/ 2024-09-24T00:00:00Z

This determination addresses whether the Chicago Park District properly withheld portions of a daily police log under FOIA exemption 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(v), which protects vulnerability assessments and security measures from disclosure. The Public Access Bureau held that the Park District failed to meet its burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the redacted 'Exterior Premise Check' and 'Interior Premise Check' entries qualified for the exemption, because the log reflected only rout

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-80130/ 2024-08-15T00:00:00Z

A requester asked the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) for video footage of a fatal incident at a train station. The CTA refused to release the video, arguing that it could reveal sensitive security information. The Attorney General's office reviewed the case and decided not to take further action, noting that the law allows agencies to withhold records that could compromise security measures.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/2024-pac-81170/ 2024-06-21T00:00:00Z

The requester, a fair housing organization, sought a dataset of scattered-site public housing units including their addresses and occupancy status, and the housing authority redacted most digits of the street numbers for vacant units, citing the exemption for vulnerability assessments and security plans. The Public Access Counselor held that street addresses are not themselves vulnerability assessments, security measures, or response plans, so the exemption did not apply on its face. The housing

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-70212/ 2022-10-13T00:00:00Z

A reporter requested a presentation about the City's response to civil unrest, but the City blacked out large portions of the document claiming they were exempt from disclosure. The Attorney General's office reviewed the slides and found that the City did not have a valid legal reason to hide most of that information. The City was asked to release the majority of the slides to the reporter.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/21-012/ 2021-12-16T00:00:00Z

The requester, a newspaper reporter, sought 911 call response-time data, which a city emergency-communications office withheld, arguing that revealing how quickly units arrived on scene could help criminals evade police or target vulnerable areas. The Public Access Counselor held that response-time data are factual records of employee performance rather than vulnerability assessments or security plans, and that the office's claims of danger were speculative rather than clear and convincing. The

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53887/ 2018-09-13T00:00:00Z

A reporter requested use of force reports from the Quincy Police Department, which initially provided a summary and then denied the full request citing privacy exemptions. The Attorney General's office determined that the Department improperly withheld the reports, except for certain discrete information. The Department may redact home addresses and signatures as private information under FOIA, and may also redact identifying details of non-arrested subjects to avoid an unwarranted invasion of p

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-49142/ 2017-11-21T00:00:00Z

A former employee of the Macoupin County Sheriff's Department requested copies of the department's annual jail inspection report for 2017 and electronic records of security rounds from 2015 to support a potential legal claim. The Sheriff's Department initially denied the request for the round records under section 2.15(c) of FOIA and stated that the 2017 inspection report had not yet been created. After review, the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Bureau concluded that the round records

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/2010-pac-11568/ 2010-10-25T00:00:00Z

The requester, a newspaper reporter, sought the current total number of sworn police officers assigned to each police district, which a police department withheld in full as a vulnerability assessment or security measure. The Public Access Counselor held that the exemption applies only to measures designed to prevent attacks that could destroy or contaminate a community's population or infrastructure, and the department failed to show that disclosing district staffing totals would jeopardize any