FOIA Request to Crystal Lake Police Department regarding active employee roster on November 13, 2025.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Crystal Lake Police Department by McHenry Times on November 13, 2025. The request seeks access to various records that identify all current employees of the police department. Specifically, the requested documents include any roster, directory, staffing list, payroll record, or personnel summary available in electronic format.
The information sought for each employee includes their name, job title or rank, sex or gender (if this information is included in existing records), date of hire or appointment, and age or year of birth (only if it appears in public-facing records). If multiple versions of such rosters exist—such as HR rosters, payroll rosters, sworn-officer rosters, and civilian-staff rosters—the most recent version of each is requested.
The requestor emphasized the importance of access to public records for media professionals who are responsible for holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. As a member of the media involved in gathering and reporting news, McHenry Times has also requested a fee waiver due to its role in disseminating information.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies using FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found on their website: https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
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