Chambana Sun

FOIA Request to Champaign Police Department regarding active employee roster on November 13, 2025.

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Champaign Police Department by a representative from Chambana Sun, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request, sent on November 13, 2025, seeks access to various records related to the department's current employees.

The requested information includes any roster, directory, staffing list, payroll record, or personnel summary that identifies all current police department employees. Specifically, the request asks for details such as each employee's name, job title or rank, sex or gender (if available in existing records), date of hire or appointment, and age or year of birth (only if included in public-facing records). If multiple versions of these rosters exist—such as HR rosters or payroll rosters—the most recent version of each is requested.

The requester emphasized the importance of accessing public records to fulfill professional responsibilities as a member of the media. This includes holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. The requester also indicated eligibility for a fee waiver due to their role in disseminating information.

The email notes that the requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.

Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.