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Illinois FOIA & OMA Reference

7.5(cc)

FOIA

Law enforcement body-camera recordings

Law enforcement body-camera recordings

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Read the full statute text on /statutes →

Jump to the 17 issues decided under this provision, with a drafting brief ↓

12 upheld (no violation found) · 1 rejected (violation found), out of 13 documents.

Not legal advice, and not a per-exemption ruling — this reflects each document's overall disposition. See the FAQ disclaimer.

How the Public Access Counselor has treated 7.5(cc)

Section 7.5(cc) of FOIA exempts officer-worn body camera recordings from disclosure except to the extent disclosure is allowed under the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act. Under that Act, access is limited to requesters who fall within specified categories, including where the requester is depicted or is the subject of the encounter, and may depend on flagging and victim or witness consent considerations.

In these decisions, the PAC generally upheld withholding or redacting recordings when the requester was not depicted, was not the subject of the encounter, or was otherwise not authorized to receive them under section 10-20(b). It approved providing only the portions depicting the requester and redacting audio or images of others for privacy. In one decision, it found extensive blurring of a public encounter improper.

At a glance: 13 documents from 2020 to 2026(0 binding opinions, 13 determination letters). Most often cited alongside: 7(1)(c) (Personal privacy) (3); 7(1)(a) (Confidential under other federal or State law) (1); 7(1)(b) (Private information) (1); 7(1)(d)(iv) (Would disclose a confidential source or informant) (1).

Recurring issues

Practical points

Summary drafted from the linked decisions and checked against them; read the decisions themselves before relying on it. Not legal advice.

All 13 documents citing 7.5(cc)

Issues decided under 7.5(cc)

Individual questions the Public Access Bureau decided under this provision, with the rule it applied, grouped by outcome. Extracted automatically from the letters; check each source letter.

17 issues across 16 determination letters:2 violation found · 15 no violation.

Counts are per issue, not per letter, and come from automated extraction checked against sampled letters. Determination letters are not binding precedent.

Authorities the Bureau cites most on this issue

How to challenge a denial on this issue

AI-generated summary of the decisions listed on this page, with each point linked to the letters it comes from. Determination letters are not binding precedent and this is not legal advice. Open the letter and check the PDF before relying on any point.

When a challenge is strong

  • The body camera recording was flagged (e.g., due to an arrest) and the public body withheld it. Flagged recordings are not exempt; the Body Camera Act does not prohibit disclosure of flagged recordings.Based on: Police body-camera footage of a traffic stop ar…
  • The public body redacted the faces of subjects of the encounter. Section 7.5(cc) does not permit redaction of subjects' faces; only non-subjects not directly involved may be redacted.Based on: Police body-camera footage of a public encounter

When the public body usually wins

Points to put in your letter

Common mistakes

Facts to gather first

  • Whether you are the subject of the encounter.
  • Whether the recording was flagged (e.g., due to an arrest, death, or bodily harm).
  • Whether the public body redacted faces of subjects or other individuals.
  • Whether the public body claims it does not possess the records.

These notes are based on non-binding determination letters; outcomes depend on specific facts and the current law; always verify the full decision PDF.

Drafting brief for an AI assistant

Copy this into your assistant to help draft a request, appeal, or challenge to a denial that turns on this issue. It carries the rules and decisions, not your facts: add those yourself. Machine-readable version: foia-7-5-cc.json.

Violation found (2)

  • Body camera footage flagged under Body Camera Act

    Rule: Body camera recordings flagged due to an arrest are subject to disclosure under FOIA and the Body Camera Act does not prohibit disclosure.

    Violation found Police body-camera footage of a traffic stop arrest · March 20, 2025

  • Redaction of body camera footage under section 7.5(cc)

    Rule: Section 7.5(cc) does not permit redaction of subjects' faces; only non-subjects not directly involved may be redacted.

    Violation found Police body-camera footage of a public encounter · October 4, 2023

No violation (15)

  • Withholding body camera transcripts not possessed

    Rule: A public body does not violate FOIA by not disclosing records it does not possess.

    No violation Police body-camera footage and transcripts of a parking-lot interaction · July 21, 2026

  • Withholding body camera recordings under section 7.5(cc)

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt unless disclosure is authorized under the Body Camera Act, such as to the subject of the encounter or if flagged.

    No violation Police body-camera footage and transcripts of a parking-lot interaction · July 21, 2026

  • Withholding non-flagged body camera recordings from requester

    Rule: Non-flagged body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA disclosure unless the requester is the subject of the encounter, the officer, or their legal representative.

    No violation Police body-camera footage of a motor vehicle accident investigation · October 6, 2020

  • Redaction of body camera footage of other subject

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA unless flagged or requested by the subject of the encounter; a person given a notice to appear is not arrested or detained.

    No violation Police body-camera footage of an encounter with others · July 29, 2025

  • Withholding of body camera footage under Body Camera Act and FOIA

    Rule: A parent is not a 'subject of the encounter' under the Body Camera Act, and footage of a minor interacting with police about a matter where no arrest occurred is exempt under FOIA's privacy exemption.

    No violation Police reports and body camera footage of an incident involving a minor · July 29, 2025

  • Withholding of body camera footage of other subject

    Rule: Body camera footage of a subject with a reasonable expectation of privacy may be disclosed only with that subject's written consent.

    No violation Police incident reports, CAD notes, 911 audio, and body-camera footage of an arrest · April 10, 2025

  • Withholding non-subject body camera footage

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA except as authorized by the Body Camera Act, which allows disclosure only to the subject of the encounter.

    No violation Body-camera footage of a police officer on a specific date · January 6, 2025

  • Denial of body-worn camera footage to non-subject requester

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA unless flagged or requested by the subject of the encounter; the requester was not the subject.

    No violation Police body-camera footage of a private-residence incident · January 15, 2025

  • Withholding body camera footage from non-subject requester

    Rule: Body camera footage is exempt from FOIA unless a Body Camera Act exception applies, and the public interest in disclosure is irrelevant to this exemption.

    No violation Police body-camera footage of a reported incident · October 21, 2024

  • Withholding of body camera footage under FOIA

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA disclosure unless an exception in section 10-20(b) of the Body Camera Act applies, such as when the requester is the subject or the recording is flagged and authorized.

    No violation Police body-camera footage of a private meeting between officers · October 3, 2024

  • Body camera footage disclosure under Body Camera Act

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA unless disclosure is authorized under the Body Camera Act, which only permits flagged recordings involving death or bodily harm from law enforcement engagement.

    No violation Police body and dash camera footage of a traffic accident · March 11, 2024

  • Redaction of body camera audio under section 7.5(cc)

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt except as authorized by the Body Camera Act, which permits redaction of persons not the officer, subject, or directly involved.

    No violation Body-camera footage and 911 recordings of a YMCA incident · February 6, 2023

  • Body camera footage from private residence denied without written consent

    Rule: Body camera recordings of subjects with a reasonable expectation of privacy are exempt unless the agency obtains the subject's written permission.

    No violation Police body-camera footage of a search warrant execution · January 10, 2020

  • Disclosure of body camera recordings to requester's client

    Rule: Body camera recordings are exempt from FOIA unless disclosure is authorized under the Body Camera Act; CPD properly withheld recordings because the requester's client was not a subject of the encounter and the recordings were not flagged.

    No violation Police body-camera recordings of a traffic crash · August 1, 2019

  • Withholding of non-flagged body camera recordings from requester

    Rule: A public body may withhold non-flagged body camera recordings from a requester who is not the subject of the encounter or otherwise authorized under the Body Camera Act.

    No violation Police body-camera recordings of a dispatch incident · August 31, 2017