A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois regarding arrest records from the year 2024 on January 7, 2025.
The request was made by us at Rockford Sun, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs. We requested these records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, preferably in an electronic format.
Specifically, we asked for a list of all arrests from January 1, 2024 till December 31, 2024 with the following fields: Arrestee Name, Arrest Date, Arrestee Gender, Arrestee Race, Arrestee’s Date of Birth and Crime Committed.
As members of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, access to public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals.
We await a response from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and will keep our readers updated on any developments.
