East Central Reporter

The City of Mattoon has filed a motion to quash a request for records related to police officers, according to documents obtained by the Edgar County Watchdogs. The motion and the response from the defendant are both available online for public review.

The issue concerns whether certain documents, potentially in possession of the Mattoon Police Department, are relevant to an ongoing court case. In its motion, the city stated: “The documents requested, if any are in possession of the Mattoon Police Department, are totally irrelevant to the case at bar.”

This statement raises questions about whether such records exist within the department. The article notes that if no records were held by police, a simple denial would have sufficed instead of filing a lengthy motion. This could indicate that some records may indeed be present.

The relevance of these documents is also debated. According to information from a letter issued by the city of Arcola, there are items related to an officer’s credibility that may impact the defendant’s case.

In its argument, Mattoon cited People vs Carey and referenced language originally used in United States vs Nixon. The quoted passage from Nixon reads: “The very integrity of the judicial system and public confidence in the system depend on full disclosure of all the facts, within the framework of the rules of evidence. To ensure that justice is done, it is imperative to the function of courts that compulsory process be available for the production of evidence needed either by the prosecution or by the defense.“

The defendant’s response also highlights this quotation and its implications for ensuring transparency and fairness in court proceedings.

Updates on how this matter unfolds in court will be provided as new information becomes available.