Cop refused to tell me why he was sitting on pedestrian path at my local park
I went on a walk today, and a cop parked near a playground, on a pedestrian path. At first, he refused to give me any details as to why he was there, but after pressing he did disclose that there were phone calls about kids doing something illegal at the park. He would not share what the allegations were.
I sent the following Freedom of Information Act request to my local park district to find out more information. Since this post is published online, I'm redacting any information regarding my area.
Hello,
Under [my state's] FOIA law, I submit the following request:
On May 1, 2025 between, roughly 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm I spoke with Officer [redacted] at [redacted] park. He was parked in his car on a pedestrian portion of the park.
He said he was there because there had been some calls about kids doing something illegal in the park, and he wanted to be there to catch them. He refused to disclose more information, despite my multiple requests and my assertion that I have a right to know this information.
For the record, I would likely not be sending this request if he had been forthcoming and told me what kind of illegal activity he was watching for. At the very least, I just wanted to know so I could share an informed opinion with him, with regard to the enforcement of law in my community. I suspect he will see this email, so I will say this: Preventing violent crime against other people is good, but if these kids are just smoking weed or doing minor vandalism like graffiti, I don't think arrest or criminal charges would be beneficial for them or for our community, and talking to parents and other adults in their lives (like teachers or youth leaders) and finding healthier activites for the kids to engage in would be better.
With regard to this, I request:
- Any calls, emails, or other communications from the public regarding the alleged illegal activity that he was watching for, as well as a transcript of those calls. (If transcripts do not exist, audio recordings will be acceptable)
- Any in-department communications regarding those alleged illegal activities. These records may include memos, emails, text messages, dispatches, orders to patrol, or other communications not listed here. If there are private messaging systems within the department, these should be searched as well.
- Any police reports regarding these alleged illegal activites or any enforcement efforts with regard to them.
- Any relevant text messages, emails, or other written communications within 30 minutes after my interaction with Officer [redacted]. Such records would have been messages sent by Officer [redacted] and should include any replies to those messages, if they exist. His personal cell phone and email account should be searched for messages as well. His body cam footage and in-car dash cam footage can be reviewed to see if he made any walkie-talkie or phone communications with regard to our interaction or the alleged illegal activity he is watching for.
- Walkie-talkie communication directing Officer [redacted] to go to [redacted] park. For the walkie-talkie communications, you may limit the search to all of May 1, 2025 if there are transcripts or personnel is able to direct you to a reasonable time period to search. If there is only audio and such communications cannot be pinpointed by personnel, you may restrict the search to 2:30pm or afterward on May 1, 2025. This review should include a review of his Body Cam footage and audio or in-car dash footage and audio.
If camera and audio review is deemed unduly burdensome, then please scratch those aspects from this request and perform the remainder of the search. If audio portions have transcripts for them, the transcripts may be reviewed rather than the audio/video. At this time, I do not need body cam footage from my interaction with Officer [redacted].
Thank you, Reed [redacted]