Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Overview

The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to ensure that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government, and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials.

The principle mandate of the Act provides that each public body shall make available to any person for inspection, or upon submission of a written request, to provide copies of any requested records that are subject to disclosure under the Act. Not all records are subject to disclosure, and the Act provides a number of exemptions.

This Act is not intended to be used to violate individual privacy, nor for the purpose of furthering a commercial enterprise, or to disrupt the duly-undertaken work of any public body independent of the fulfillment of any of the rights of the people to access to information (5 ILCS 140/1).

All written requests shall be responded to within five (5) working days (5 ILCS/140/3) following the date the request is received, except in the instance when the request is for commercial purposes. (Within 21 working days of receiving a request for commercial purposes) the Village of Norridge will: (1) provide a reasonable estimate of time needed to comply with the request along with an estimate of the fees which the requestor will be charged if necessary; (2) deny the request pursuant to a statutory exemption; (3) notify the requestor if the request is unduly burdensome and allow the requestor to revise the request to manageable proportions; or (4) provide the requested records. The five (5) day count begins the day after the receipt of the FOIA request by the FOIA Officer, or designee. The requester may be notified of a five (5) day extension (working days) if the files are voluminous, at different locations, or if other reasons make it impossible to assemble and mail the request out within the normal five (5) day period.

All village employees are encouraged to provide available information when requested by the public. Information provided or denied under the FOIA, however, must conform to the legal requirements under the Act. Certain documents may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to specific sections in the Freedom of Information Act (5ILCS 140/3(g);7;7.5).

When a public body denies a request for public records, that body must, within five (5) working days, or within any extended compliance period provided for in the Act, notify the person who made the request, by letter, of the decision to deny the request. The letter must explain the reasons for the denial, and give the names and titles of all persons responsible for the denial.

Any person denied access to inspect or copy any public record for any reason may appeal the denial by sending a written notice of appeal to the Public Access Counselor at the following address:

Public Access Counselor
Office of the Attorney General 
500 S. 2nd Street 
Springfield, Illinois 62706 
1-877-299-FOIA (1-877-299-3642) 
Fax: 217-782-1396
E-mail: Public.Access@ilag.gov

You also have the right to seek judicial review for your denial by filing a law suit in the State circuit court (5 ILCS 140/11). Illinois FOIA FAQs

FOIA - Request For Review By Public Access Counselor (PAC) Form

For additional information regarding the Freedom of Information Act, please visit the Illinois Attorney General's website.

Any person requesting records of the Village of Norridge may make such a request either in person, orally, or in writing to:

Brian Goss
FOIA Officer 
Norridge Police Department 
4020 N. Olcott Avenue 
Norridge, IL 60706 
708-453-4770 ext. 5758
bgoss@norridgepd.com

Another method would be by mailing, faxing or e-mailing a written request to either Brian Goss specifying in particular the records requested to be disclosed and copied. If you desire that any records be certified, you must indicate that in your request and specify which records must be certified.

Please be as specific as possible when describing the records you are seeking. Remember the Freedom of Information is designed to allow you to inspect or receive copies of records. It is not designed to require a public body to answer questions.

Please tell us whether you would like copies of the requested records, or whether you wish to examine the records in person. You have the right to do either.

The fees for any such records, if the person requesting the records wishes them to be copied, are as follows:

First 50 pages, black and white, letter or legal size copies - No Cost

Additional pages, black and white, letter or legal - $0.15 per page

Electronic records will be formatted subject to reimbursement for costs of recording medium.

Color copies or copies in a size other than letter or legal - $0.25 per page if copied internally. 
If the documents are not able to be reproduced by the Village, the fee will be the actual cost for producing the records.

Costs of certifying a record - $1.00

Commercial requests shall be billed at the foregoing page rates plus an hourly fee for time spent by Village personnel in searching for and retrieving records plus any fees and costs incurred in the retrieval or transport of responsive records. Time spent by Village personnel shall be reimbursed at $10.00 per hour. The first eight hours of time spent by Village personnel searching for and retrieving the requested records shall not incur any fee.

Records may be furnished without charge or at a reduced charge, as determined by the Village, if the person requesting the documents states the specific purpose for the request and indicates that a waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest. Waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest if the principal purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety and welfare or the legal rights of the general public and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefit.

Village of Norridge's FOIA Web Portal

FOIA Request Form