Illinois State Police Hiding DUI Record of State Employed Chaplain
Illinois state police officials refuse to release a copy of the arrest report on a state prison chaplain charged with DUI. Officials claim it would be an invasion his privacy. The Associated Press has attempted to get the report through the Freedom of Information Act (FICA) which states that arrest information is public record. The FICA adds that information “that bears on the public duties of public employees” isn’t considered private. In addition, the Illinois State Records Act explicitly requires police to allow the inspection and copying of arrest reports.
All that is known is that Reverend William M Watts was pulled over in December near Kankakee Illinois after a witness reported his car traveling below the minimum speed limit. The chaplain was put on administrative leave and resigned in February.
In its response to the AP, state police said releasing the documents “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” an exemption under the law. A lawyer for the Illinois Press Association said that doesn’t make sense. Arrests reports for DUI cases are routinely released by police to show they’re doing a good job.
A State Police spokesman said the arrest report contains personal information such as William’s blood alcohol content (BAC) which could jeopardize a court case, but declined to indicate what the court case was.