Thin Blue Line Blue Lives Matter 1-2021

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

Any and all written records (including but not limited to hard-copy documents, memos, emails, word processor documents, PDF documents, PowerPoint files, etc.) between January 1, 2021 and the date this request is processed (inclusive of those dates) which contain one or more of the following words, terms, or phrases (case-insensitive):

-"blue lives matter"

-"blue lives"

-"thin blue line"

-"police lives matter"

-"all lives matter"

-"black lives matter"

-"BLM"

-"TBL"

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Northwestside Coalition

Hello Karen,

This request may seem similar to our FOIA request[*] (dated 10/22/2020) but it is different in many respects:

Recent pleas[*2, *3] from residents to remove the thin blue line symbol from Mount Prospect police patches, cars, and station have garnered a renewed interest given the history of this symbol in the community[*4]. We are asking for recent records dated between January 1, 2021 and the date of processing.

This request is being submitted to the agency of the Village of Mount Prospect instead of the police department specifically as indicated in the previous FOIA request[*]. Community members have submitted multiple communications regarding the thin blue line to the village. During the village board meeting[*5] the Mayor mentioned receiving comments from two dozen officers with a majority of officers writing in favor of the symbol. Those documents will pertain to this request.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please include records between January 1, 2021 and the date this request is processed subsequent to your return.

*FOIA: Thin Blue Line Blue Lives Matter (Mount Prospect Police Department)
https://www.muckrock.com/foi/mount-prospect-8189/thin-blue-line-blue-lives-matter-mount-prospect-police-department-104171/

*2 Mount Prospect faces renewed calls to remove thin blue line flag from police patch. (1/20/2021)
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20210120/mount-prospect-faces-renewed-calls-to-remove-thin-blue-line-flag-from-police-patch

*3 Debate over 'Thin Blue Line' image on Mount Prospect police patch rages on (2/3/2021)
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20210203/debate-over-thin-blue-line-image-on-mount-prospect-police-patch-rages-on

*4 Mount Prospect to redesign vehicle sticker amid claims of white nationalist imagery (2/6/2019)
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190206/mount-prospect-to-redesign-vehicle-sticker-amid-claims-of-white-nationalist-imagery

*5 VIDEO: Village Board Meeting 02-02-2021
https://play.champds.com/mtprospectil/event/48

Hello Karen,

We are still awaiting a response but wanted to clarify that the written records should include (but not limited to as described in the original body of this request):

• The survey/responses of police officers regarding the thin blue line/patch publicly cited and identified by head of the public body Mayor Arlene Juracek during the village board meeting on 02-02-2021 (timestamp: 1:49:03 https://play.champds.com/mtprospectil/event/48)
• Emails to and from the village regarding the thin blue line/patch dated between January 1, 2021 and the date of processing (including through this date of February 17)

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Hello,

No response is needed for this followup, this request is now complete. This is just to document the final outcome of this FOIA request. Since the survey of police officers regarding the thin blue line was withheld we requested a review with a Public Access Counselor (PAC) review with the Illinois Attorney General (attached: 67101_FL_let_abridged.pdf).

On March 19, 2021 and email from Village of Mount Prospect Village Clerk/ Freedom of Information Officer Karen Agoranos provided previously withheld records including the survey of police officers (attached: 2489_001.pdf, 2488_001.pdf)

Thank you.