Other suburbs face the same problem. Online creators are believed to be seeking videos for entertainment and profit.
BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge officials used to complain about the number of public records requests filed by critics such as former Trustee Zach Mottl.
But those critics cannot be blamed for the surge in Freedom of Information Act requests to Burr Ridge police over the last five years.
In 2025, the police department received 350 requests, up from 53 in 2021.
So far this year, the department has received 71 requests. At that rate, the department will see more than 525 this year, a 10-fold increase in six years.
Because of the spike, the Village Board is set to vote Monday on approving a part-time records coordinator position with no benefits. which is expected to cost the village $30,000.
Burr Ridge is not alone. Other suburbs have also seen surges in Freedom of Information requests.
Last fall, Elmhurst police reported that in the first 9½ months of the year, records requests doubled all of 2022’s.
About half of all the requests were for body camera footage. Last August alone, Elmhurst police received 67 bodycam requests.
Handling those requests takes a lot of time, particularly with the redaction of images of victims and others.
This year, a coalition of area towns known as the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference is pushing changes to the Freedom of Information Act.
Under the proposal, the state would adopt the federal definition of commercial requests and require a conviction for the public release of bodycam arrest footage.
That, the group says, would protect citizens’ privacy and prevent the abuse of the Freedom of Information Act for entertainment and profit.
On Friday, Patch asked Burr Ridge Police Chief Marc Loftus whether commercial entities were requesting video from the village.
He said none of the requesters of the video have identified themselves as commercial entities. By law, requesters must reveal their commercial status.
“That said, we have observed at least two videos released pursuant to FOIA appear on YouTube and similar platforms,” Loftus said. “While the requests themselves do not always disclose intent, it is evident that some body-worn camera and in-car camera footage is being repurposed for online content.”
In a Daily Herald story earlier this month, Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick Kreis said some online creators are programming AI bots to search for phrases such as “intoxicated female” and descriptions of young women in revealing clothing. With that information, creators file requests.
Loftus said the Daily Herald story documented the problem. He said such requests focus on people in stressful and traumatic moments.
“Agencies report that reviewing, redacting, and producing this footage is extremely labor-intensive, particularly when it involves juveniles, victims, medical information, or other legally protected content,” the chief said. “Even short videos can require hours of staff time to review and properly redact in compliance with statutory requirements.”
The growth in requests, he said, has increased the workload of command staff and administrative personnel.
“Each request must be logged, tracked, reviewed, and, when video is involved, carefully redacted to protect privacy interests and comply with state law,” Loftus said. “The cumulative effect has materially impacted operational efficiency, which is why we are seeking part-time clerical support to manage records and FOIA processing more effectively.”