Short answer: No!
If you are charged with a criminal offense, you may be tempted to send a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the police department that arrested you to read your police reports. However, if you send a FOIA request in Illinois to the police department for any and all information related to your case, you will find that some information is redacted.
Luckily, there is no reason to FOIA those reports because your defense attorney and the prosecutor must go through a pre-trial process called discovery. Discovery is an ongoing process in which the two sides exchange all the evidence they are aware of. The purpose of discovery is to ensure fairness between the parties and avoid surprise at trial. In Illinois, trial by ambush is prohibited; a party may face mistrial or sanctions if they hide key evidence from the other side and try to use it at trial. During the discovery process, the prosecutor will send all the evidence they have against you, such as police reports, body worn camera footage, lab reports, etc., to your defense attorney. The copies of police reports the prosecutor will send your defense attorney in discovery will be complete with no redactions.
If your defense attorney feels that they need additional information, they can issue a subpoena duces tecum. The person/business/entity that is subpoenaed is ordered to provide the court with the requested documents.
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