Illinois Supreme Court says Chicago must preserve police disciplinary records

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week that part of a Chicago police union contract mandating the destruction of police disciplinary records more than five years old violates an “explicit, well-defined, and dominant public policy” favoring public access to government information in the state of Illinois.

The court’s 5-1 decision brought an end to a decades-long dispute between the city and the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and marked an important win for transparency and police accountability.

“This ruling will help to ensure that Chicago police are accountable to the...