Obtaining a complaint copy from police station

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? - IL

Hi Experts,

I have a simple question to ask. Is it possible for a third person(not the one who filed the complaint or against whom complaint is filed) to obtain a copy of a police report just by providing a copy of his/her ID and complaint number at the police station?

Your help is highly appreciated.

Thanks.

I tried to obtain a police report one time about something I was involved in. They had redacted a number of things on the report, I guess because it was an ongoing investigation & didn't want to reveal to me what was said (by the other person). Everything I had said was not redacted.

Obviously, if something involves a criminal matter then not all information will be available to the other party. That's pretty common sense. I should also state that if you do attempt to do this, let them know as little as possible about the situation. Be calm & firm. Do not tell them anything about this case afterward either.

Laws vary by state and I have not read all of IL's, though it seems to be in line with most other states. While a police report, complaint, or citation might be public information to some degree, some of the details may not be made available. It is also possible that the agency might declare the document to be a confidential investigative file and also not available for release.