Chicago Seeks Protection for Officers’ Personal E-Mails Regarding McDonald Shooting

Chicago city government is trying to keep Chicago Police officers’ personal emails regarding the shooting of Laquan McDonald private.

The City of Chicago is asking a judge to overturn a state Attorney General’s Office ruling that said the emails are public record and, therefore, subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

The city filed the complaint Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court against the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and CNN, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Last January, a CNN producer filed an FOIA request with the Chicago Police Department that sought “all emails related to Laquan McDonald from Police Department email accounts and personal email accounts where business was discussed” for 12 specific Chicago Police officers, according to the filing. The request sought emails that were exchanged between Oct. 19 and 24, 2014, and again between Nov. 19 and 29, 2015.