FOIA Language For Requesting Records From The Chicago Police Department

When writing a FOIA request to the Chicago Police Department (hereafter referred to as CPD), you need to know several items of information which are listed in my first piece here at Medium, titled, “Using The Illinois Freedom of Information Act to Search For and Obtain Records From The Chicago Police Department”

I have to date, obtained an estimated several thousands of pages of responsive material from CPD. My first FOIA was for CPD investigative files regarding a pattern of suicides on CTA train lines across the city.

Since then, I have obtained investigative files from the Burge era along with the personnel files of most of the Burge detectives.

I’ve also obtained COPA files on corrupt former Sgt. Ronald Watts, as well as Standard Operating Procedures Manuals from an important era of CPD.

Not very long ago, I received a FOIA response letter from CPD telling me I was being TOO specific and too targeted, a really big improvement from a few years ago.

Developing and Using Targeted CPD FOIA Language by CPD Administrative and Re-Organizational Time Periods

My success in this regard comes as the result of studying CPD’s systems of records, and developing targeted FOIA language…