https://illinoisfoia.org/exemptions/7-5-cc/ 2026-07-21T00:00:00Z https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-91704/ 2026-07-21T00:00:00Z

Section 7.5(cc) of FOIA exempts officer-worn body camera recordings except to the extent the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act allows disclosure. Under that Act, recordings generally may be released only if they are flagged for statutory reasons such as use of force or an arrest, or to a person the Act authorizes, and here the requester was not depicted in or the subject of the recordings and the footage was not flagged. The PAC concluded the police department properly withheld the fo

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-85480/ 2025-07-29T00:00:00Z

A mother requested police reports and body camera footage related to an incident involving her son. The Sheriff's Office provided redacted reports and withheld the video, citing privacy concerns. The Attorney General's office reviewed the materials and agreed that the Sheriff's Office acted within the law to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-87818/ 2025-07-29T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested body camera footage from the Fairfield Police Department. The Department provided the parts of the video showing the requester but redacted parts showing other people. The Attorney General's office agreed with the Department, stating that the law only allows individuals to see footage where they are the subject of the police encounter.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-85152/ 2025-04-10T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested police records, including an incident report, CAD notes, body camera footage, and 911 audio, from the Columbia Police Department. The Department provided the incident report and CAD notes with redactions for private information, stated no 911 call existed, and granted the body camera footage request in part and denied it in part, citing exemptions under FOIA and the Body Camera Act. The Public Access Bureau concluded the Request for Review was unfounded, finding the Departmen

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-84528/ 2025-01-06T00:00:00Z

This non-binding determination addresses whether the Village of Libertyville violated FOIA (5 ILCS 140) by withholding portions of officer body-worn camera footage under 5 ILCS 140/7.5(cc) and the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act (50 ILCS 706/10-20(b)). The Public Access Bureau held that the Village did not violate FOIA, finding no basis to conclude that any footage in which the requester was the subject of the encounter had been improperly withheld. It reasoned that under the Body C

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-83380/ 2024-10-21T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested police body camera footage of an incident they had reported to the Village of Bolingbrook. The Village denied the request, stating that the requester was not the person captured in the video and therefore not entitled to it. The Attorney General's office agreed, noting that state law strictly limits who can access body camera footage and that public interest does not override these specific privacy restrictions.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-83177/ 2024-10-03T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested body camera footage of a meeting between two police officers from the Village of Skokie. The Village denied the request, and the Public Access Counselor agreed, finding that state law restricts access to such footage unless the requester is a subject of the encounter or meets specific legal criteria. Because the requester did not meet these criteria, the Village was legally permitted to withhold the video.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-79651/ 2024-03-11T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested body and dash camera footage from a September 2023 accident from the Galesburg Police Department. The department initially said the footage was unavailable due to a system issue, and later stated the video had been automatically deleted after 90 days. The Illinois Attorney General's office determined that, even if the footage existed, the requester was not entitled to it under the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act because the recording captured only post-incident f

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-75330/ 2023-10-04T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested body camera footage from a police encounter, but the City of Bloomington blurred out much of the video, claiming privacy exemptions. The Attorney General's office reviewed the footage and decided the City went too far, as the video showed a public interaction that did not involve highly personal or private behavior. The City was told that it could not legally hide the identity of the person involved in that specific encounter.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-74512/ 2023-02-06T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested body camera footage from a police incident at a YMCA, but the City redacted parts of the audio. The Attorney General's office reviewed the request and found that the City was legally allowed to hide those portions to protect the privacy of the people speaking to the police. This means the City followed the law and does not have to release the redacted audio.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-65010/ 2020-10-06T00:00:00Z

Under FOIA section 7.5(cc), officer-worn body camera recordings are exempt from disclosure unless the requester falls within a specific category of persons authorized by the Body Camera Act to obtain copies. The Body Camera Act (section 10-20(b)(3)) limits access to non-flagged recordings to the officer involved, the officer's legal representative, or persons with a court order. The requester did not claim to be the officer or the officer's representative, and no facts suggested the recordings w

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-57517/ 2019-08-01T00:00:00Z

An attorney sought body-camera recordings of a traffic accident on behalf of a client, which the police department withheld under the Body Camera Act. The PAC determined the client did not appear on the recordings and was therefore not the "subject of the encounter" entitled to obtain them, and the recordings were not otherwise flagged for release under the Act's disclosure triggers. The department's withholding did not violate FOIA.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-48793/ 2017-08-31T00:00:00Z

A citizen requested police body camera footage, but the City of Springfield denied the request. The Attorney General's office reviewed the case and agreed with the City, finding that the requester was not authorized to receive the footage under the specific rules of the Illinois Body Camera Act. Consequently, the case was closed with no violation found.