Freedom of Information Act requests must be made in writing and submitted to the Department's Freedom of Information Officer. You are encouraged to submit a FOIA request by using the forms available on our website. There is a form for document and audio only requests and another form for video requests. If you are seeking both documents and video, please submit both forms. These forms are designed to assist the requester and the FOIA Unit in locating the requested records and providing a timely response..

Except when a fee is otherwise fixed by statute, each public body may charge fees reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost for reproducing public records.

No fees shall be charged for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter- or legal-sized copies. There is a charge for responses exceeding 50 pages. The fee is 15 cents per page starting at page 51 for black and white, letter- or legal-sized copies. If a public body provides copies in color or in a size other than letter or legal, the public body may charge the actual cost for reproducing the records.

There is a charge for imaging products (photographic images, still digital images, video images, instant print images, visual computer images, illustrative images, charts, schematics, diagrams, images drawn by hand, machine- or computer-generated images, and computer animations). See 20 Ill. Adm. Code 1298

If a fee is charged, the Department will notify the requester of the charge. Once payment is received, the requested information will be processed and mailed.

The Illinois State Police is unable to accept payment by credit card or debit card. Payment is required by check or money order payable to the Illinois State Police. In most instances, no documents will be sent until payment is received.

The Freedom of Information Act requires the Department to respond to non-commercial requests within five business days or a date which is mutually agreed upon by the Department and the requestor. This is subject to an extension of five additional business days upon a written notice to the requestor if collection, review, and redaction of the records requires additional time. Commercial requests must be responded to within 21 business days.

Section 2 (C-10) of the Freedom of Information Act defines commercial purpose as:

(T)he use of any part of a public record or records, or information derived from public records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or advertisement for sales or services. For purposes of this definition, requests made by news media and non-profit, scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered to be made for a "commercial purpose" when the principal purpose of the request is (i) to access and disseminate information concerning news and current or passing events, (ii) for articles of opinion or features of interest to the public, or (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or public research or education [5 ILCS 140/2(C-10)]

No – To obtain future information and/or updates, you must submit a separate FOIA request. You are encouraged to the use of the forms available on our website, specifying a date range, to submit a FOIA request for updated information.

If you think your request was improperly denied, we encourage you to contact the FOIA Officer for further explanation or to see if your request can be narrowed to allow for a response. Please contact the FOIA Officer at: ISP.Appeals.FOIA@illinois.gov.

If the FOIA Officer is unable to resolve your concerns, you may request review of the denial from the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at the Office of the Attorney General. 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). You can file your Request for Review with the PAC by writing to:

• Public Access Counselor
• Office of the Attorney General
• 500 South 2nd Street
• Springfield, Illinois 62706
• Fax: (217) 782-1396
• E-mail: publicaccess@atg.state.il.us

If you choose to file a Request for Review with the PAC, you must do so within 60 calendar days of the date of the denial letter. 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). Please note that you must include a copy of your original FOIA request and the denial letter when filing a Request for Review with the PAC.

You also have the right to seek judicial review of your denial by filing a lawsuit in the State circuit court. See 5 ILCS 140/11.

The FOIA Unit does not handle subpoenas for the Illinois State Police. Subpoenas should be directed to the Illinois State Police work location responsible for the records . For assistance determining where to direct a subpoena, please contact the Illinois State Police Legal Office at (217) 782-7658.