The CPD was able to produce a miraculous data set to CJP as part of our ongoing lawsuit that they told us in writing they did not possess. This directly contradicted what CJP learned from sources within the CPD years ago so we sued to make sure what they were telling us in writing was actually true. Of course, it turned out that the CPD was truth challenged all the time.
The data in question is called police call for service data and is originally created by the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). When anyone calls 911 they actually are calling OEMC call takers who discern what the call is about and dispatch police and or medical services. When OEMC answers a call seeking police services they create data about who is calling, what they are calling about, what resources are being dispatched, among many other data categories.
OEMC has a policy of deleting this data in accordance with Illinois law that only requires the agency to keep it for four years. Through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and subsequent litigation we have data from OEMC dating from mid 2011 through July of 2019. We are prohibited from obtaining data prior to 2011 because OEMC has long ago erased that data.
The FOIA mandates that any public agency that possess data from another public body that is subject to FOIA must release that data upon receiving a request for said data. So, because we knew from sources that the CPD did maintain OEMC data going back past to 2011 within their warehouse we requested the data back to 1999.
Within the last couple of days CJP has received production from the CPD as part of our litigation that resolves this count in our lawsuit. The production contains call for service data going back to 1999 through sometime in 2016.
With the edition of this data from the CPD the OEMC specific section of our data warehouse will contain over 20 years of data!
Want learn more about our strategic litigation efforts or maybe watch a deep dive video about what is in the over 20 years of OEMC data? These are just two of the many benefits you will enjoy when you join our Patron Campaign! Click HERE to join today!
