by Check CU | Feb 1, 2024 | Featured
The City of Urbana, Illinois has now spent over $30,000 in their efforts to keep police use of force records secret, only to eventually release them in a lawsuit settlement. This story started almost exactly two years ago, when Check CU requested records from the City...
by Check CU | Jan 8, 2024 | Latest Articles
Champaign, Illinois Police officers stand with the Mayor and City Council after being sworn in The City of Champaign is paying out yet again to settle a lawsuit related to unlawfully denied public records. Check CU filed the lawsuit in April of 2022 when the...
by Check CU | Dec 29, 2023 | Latest Articles
After initially denying a public records request, the City of Champaign, Illinois agreed to provide the records and pay the legal fees incurred by Check CU founder Christopher Hansen in response to an associated lawsuit. In March of 2022, Check CU published an article...
by Check CU | Mar 26, 2023 | Latest Articles
The declarations of Evanston’s public officials, are not entirely consistent with their actions when it comes to accessing government records On July 28th of 2022, Check CU sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the City of Evanston, Illinois...
by Check CU | Mar 17, 2023 | Latest Articles
A screenshot of the Illinois Documents website, where hundreds of Central Illinois public officials are listed in a single directory In recognition of Sunshine Week, Check CU would like to draw attention to some Central Illinois resources that make public records and...
by Check CU | Mar 17, 2023 | Latest Articles
Urbana City Clerk Charlie Smyth pioneered records denial schemes that continue to be repeated and cause damage today In recognition of Sunshine Week, Check CU presents the elected official who pioneered illegal public records denial schemes for the City of Urbana,...
by Check CU | Jan 29, 2023 | Latest Articles
The City of Evanston, Illinois is being sued for unlawfully concealing police misconduct records. Check CU filed the lawsuit in Cook County Court on September 30th, 2022, alleging violations of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The lawsuit shows that on...
by Check CU | Jul 26, 2022 | Latest Articles
Rantoul, Illinois Village Attorney David Wesner and Police Chief Tony Brown are not only concealing police misconduct records, they are asking the court to overturn public records laws that have existed for over four decades A Champaign County judge denied an attempt...
by Check CU | Apr 8, 2022 | Latest Articles
(Champaign, Illinois City Building – Photo by ILDocs.com) On March 21st, 2022 Check CU asked the City of Champaign, Illinois to provide copies of complaints submitted against police officers in 2021 and 2022. Three days later, City Clerk Shannon Myers fully...
by Check CU | Apr 6, 2022 | Latest Articles
On December 16th, 2021 Check CU Founder Christopher Hansen filed a lawsuit against the Village of Rantoul alleging violations of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Rantoul unlawfully denied access to copies of complaints against police officers, and...
by Check CU | Apr 6, 2022 | Latest Articles
On January 21st, 2022 Check CU sent a public records request to Village of Rantoul Clerk and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer Janet Gray seeking police complaints from 2010 through 2018. Gray passed the request off to Village Attorney David Wesner who,...
by Check CU | Mar 21, 2022 | Latest Articles
Check CU filed a lawsuit today alleging that the City of Champaign willfully violated the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by refusing to provide records related to the Champaign County Community Coalition (CCCC). Two days ago, Check CU published an article...
by Check CU | Mar 13, 2022 | Latest Articles
The Illinois State Police (ISP) have finally issued a response to a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit which was filed with the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in Champaign County last year. The lawsuit was filed on October 1st, 2021 by Check CU Founder Christopher...
by Check CU | Jan 22, 2022 | Latest Articles
Urbana Human Resources Director Todd Rent (now HR Director for the University of Iowa) violated FOIA by refusing to provide City financial records to the News Gazette In April of 2014, the City of Urbana was cited by the Illinois Attorney General (IAG) for a Freedom...
by Check CU | Jan 21, 2022 | Latest Articles
On November 7th, 2021, Check CU sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Village of Rantoul asking for past police complaints. The request was sent to Rantoul Village Clerk and FOIA Officer Janet Gray. The records response was handled by Village...
by Check CU | Jan 17, 2022 | Latest Articles
City of Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin spent months actively muting residents for expressing opinions The City of Urbana offered to pay $12,750 for plaintiff’s attorney’s fees in order to bring an end to an Open Meetings Act (OMA) lawsuit which was filed on November 20th,...
by Check CU | Jan 16, 2022 | Latest Articles
Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Glover Bannon cost the City of Champaign $5,000 in legal fees after unlawfully concealing copies of human rights complaints. In the spring of 2021, Check CU published an article about denial of public records by the City of Champaign...
