Police Video Requests Surge in Suburban Towns

The number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that local police departments receive has jumped sharply in recent years. In one suburb, the police office logged 350 requests in 2025, compared with just 53 in 2021. Early this year alone, the department has already seen 71 new filings; if that pace continues, the total could top 525 for the year—a ten‑fold rise over six years. Because of this pressure, the local governing body is preparing to approve a part‑time records coordinator position. The role would have no benefits and cost the community about $30, 000 annually. Other nearby municipalities are experiencing similar trends. For example, in Elmhurst, the police department reported that FOIA requests for the first nine and a half months of 2025 were twice as many as all of last year. About half of those requests sought body‑camera footage; in August alone, the department received 67 such requests. Reviewing and redacting this material is time‑consuming, especially when it involves minors or sensitive medical details.A regional group of mayors and managers is now proposing changes to the state FOIA. They suggest adopting a federal definition of commercial requests and requiring proof of a criminal conviction before releasing arrest footage. The goal is to protect privacy and curb the use of public records for entertainment or profit. Police leaders confirm that while no requesters have formally identified themselves as commercial entities, videos released under FOIA often end up on platforms like YouTube. Some online creators reportedly use AI tools to search for specific phrases—such as “intoxicated female” or descriptions of young women in revealing clothing—to locate footage that can be repurposed for content. The resulting requests tend to target individuals in stressful or traumatic situations. Handling these requests is labor‑intensive. Each filing must be logged, tracked, reviewed, and, when video is involved, carefully redacted to meet legal standards. Even short clips can require hours of staff time. The cumulative workload has strained both command and administrative teams, prompting the need for additional clerical support to manage FOIA processing more efficiently.