FOIADetermination Letter (non-binding)Closed no further actionPolice & Investigative Records

Macon County Sheriff properly withheld booking video under 7(1)(e)

The request involved surveillance video footage of a jail booking area.

Date issued: June 18, 2025
Request number(s): 87081
Public body: Macon County Sheriff's Office
Statute(s): 5 ILCS 140/7
Exemption(s) discussed: 7(1)(e) — Correctional/detention facility security records
Outcome: No violation found

Plain-language summary

A citizen requested video footage of their booking process at the Macon County Jail. The Sheriff's Office refused to release the video, arguing that it would reveal security details about the jail's layout and camera blind spots. The Attorney General's office agreed with the Sheriff, concluding that the video is exempt from disclosure to protect the safety and security of the detention facility.

Legal question

Whether the Macon County Sheriff's Office properly invoked section 7(1)(e) of FOIA to withhold surveillance footage of a jail booking area.

Holding

The Macon County Sheriff's Office properly withheld the requested booking video footage under section 7(1)(e) of FOIA.

Summary

The requester sought video footage of their booking at the Macon County Jail, which the Sheriff's Office denied citing security concerns. The PAC determined that the denial was proper because releasing footage of the booking area could compromise jail security by revealing blind spots or facility layout.

Issues decided in this letter

Each question the Public Access Bureau decided, with the rule it applied. Extracted automatically from the letter; the source PDF is authoritative.

No violationFOIA section 7(1)(e)
Withholding jail booking video under security exemption
Rule applied: Video footage of a detention facility's booking area is exempt from disclosure because it could reveal internal layout and blind spots that undermine jail security.
Authorities cited: Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 40573; Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 36649; Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 58417

jail securitysurveillance videobooking footageexemption 7(1)(e)

Reading view (498 words)

This reading view follows the source PDF's positioned text blocks. Page headers, repeated office furniture, and lower-margin notes are kept out of the narrative; source notes are available below. Reconstruction is automatic and imperfect — the PDF is the authoritative version, and it's linked on this page.

Dear

This determination is issued pursuant to section 9.5(c) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ( 5 ILCS 140/ 9.5( c) (West 2024)). For the reasons explained below, the Public Access Bureau has determined that no further action is warranted in this matter.

On May 21, 2025 , you submitted a FOIA request to the Macon County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff's Office) seeking video footage of a search performed during your booking at the Macon County Jail on May 20, 2025. On May 28, 2025, the Sheriff' s Office denied your request in its entirety pursuant to section 7(1)( e) of FOIA ( 5 ILCS 140/ 7 (1)( e) ( West 2024)). On June 12, 2025 , this office received your complete Request for Review contesting the Sheriff's Office's denial.

Section 7(1)(e) of FOIA exempts from disclosure "[r]ecords that relate to or affect the security of correctional institutions and detention facilities." The Public Access Bureau has previously determined in certain circumstances that the disclosure of video footage of the holding or booking area of a detention facility would pose a security threat by enabling the viewer to determine the range of the security cameras or by revealing blind spots that detainees could exploit to harm others while evading detection. See, for example , Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 40573, issued August 17, 2016 ( video footage depicting police department' s jail cell and booking area exempt from disclosure because it revealed blind spots and police activity such as shift changes that could be used to undermine jail security); Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 36649, issued November 28, 2018 (determining that disclosure of surveillance footage of a jail's booking bullpen, sally port, hallways, and other internal areas would enable the viewer to determine blind spots and exits that could be exploited to undermine jail security ); Ill. Att'y Gen.

Your FOIA request specifically seeks footage that captures the booking area of the Macon County Jail. Because release of footage of that area of the jail could undermine the safety of the facility by showing this area's internal layout and potential blind spots, the Sheriff's Office did not improperly withhold the video footage pursuant to section 7(1)( e) of FOIA. Accordingly, this office has determined that no further inquiry is warranted in this matter.

This file is closed . If you have any questions, please contact me at benjamin.silver@ilag.gov .

Very truly yours, BENJAMIN J. SILVER Supervising Attorney Public Access Bureau 87081 f no fi war sho cc: Via electronic mail Mr. Chad Gordy FOIA Officer Macon County Sheriff 's Office 333 South Franklin Street Decatur, Illinois 62523 foiainformation@macon - sheriff -il.us