Lake in the Hills Police Department Recognized for Transparency

Coming clean to newspaper reporters and residents about activity at the local police department has always been a common practice, said Jim Wales, LITH Director of Police and Public Safety.

A recent analysis done by the Chicago Tribune shows LITH Police to be generous when it comes to approving Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests. That analysis looked at how often the Illinois Attorney General's Office of Public Access Counselor "disagreed with government agencies trying to withhold public records," according to the article.

The PAC did not disagree with any of the 95 LITH Police Department cases it closed, according to the analysis.

That did not surprise Wales, who has been with the department more than 30 years.

"We have always tried to be as transparent as possible,'' Wales said. "Unless there was a real specific reason why information shouldn't be released, the public has a right to know.''

The department even makes it easy for reporters to get the latest police activity in town by e-mailing them the daily police bulletin, Wales said, adding, "if from the daily bulletin a reporter wants to delve further we encourage that.''

Occasionally the police department does something that is perceived as incorrect by the public, he said. Coming forward and talking about it is important, he said.

Wales recalls back in the 1980s when major flooding occurred in town and the handling of it was brought under scrutiny by the public. He recalls sitting down with reporters to discuss it.

"There were certain things that were done that shouldn't have been done,'' he said.

As for filling out a formal request for information with his department, Wales said, "You can go ahead and fill out the FOIA, but if you just call and ask we'll give it to you.''