Surge In Elmhurst Bodycam Video Requests

ELMHURST, IL – Requests for Elmhurst officers' body camera videos have skyrocketed over the last few years, prompting the need for another employee, the police chief said Monday.

A couple of years ago, state law began requiring officers to keep their bodycam videos running during incidents.

So far this year, the number of Freedom of Information Act requests has doubled all of 2022's, Chief Michael McLean told the City Council. About half of those requests are for bodycam footage.

In August alone, the police department received 67 bodycam requests.

Handling such requests, he said, requires "exponentially" more time than regular public records requests, McLean said. The work for bodycam requests involves redacting victims, witnesses and youths from both the audio and video, he said.

McLean asked the City Council to let him hire a part-time records clerk to help with the increased workload.

"Our records division can no longer process FOIA requests adequately with the current staff," the chief said.

The money for the records clerk would come from an unfilled part-time police officer's position, McLean said.

The council did not weigh in. It is expected to vote on the city's new budget by year's end.