'Intrusive'? Burr Ridge Background Checks Prompt Questions

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge plans to hold the Village Academy in which residents can learn about the local government's operations.

This is similar to such programs for citizens in towns across the country. Like other municipalities, Burr Ridge notifies applicants they will be subject to police background investigations.

Resident Patricia Davis, who has criticized the village government before, emailed the mayor and trustees this week questioning the background checks.

"Is the recently-announced Burr Ridge 'Village Academy' going to be giving participants national secrets? Handing over the nuclear codes or something?" she said in the email. "Even you elected officials don't submit to a background check. Likely Village staff don't, either. Neither do resident volunteers on various commissions and committees. This is outrageous and intrusive. I thought 'Village Academy' was an admirable effort to have a more informed citizenry. Now it just stinks."

Patch emailed village officials to ask about the checks.

The process, the village said, is to uncover anyone with active warrants or orders of protection against other potential participants in the academy.

"We cannot permit participation in the class to supersede such orders," Village Administrator Evan Walter said. "We would make accommodations for those parties if such a situation arose."

In an email to Patch, ACLU of Illinois spokesman Ed Yohnka said the background check likely poses no real issue if it's for the village's limited purpose.

"Having said that, once you start the search process, is there discretion by someone in the program to refuse someone on the basis for a past interaction with law enforcement? But again – these issues do not raise huge red flags," Yohnka said.

To register, applicants must agree to several things, including, "I understand that the Village of Burr Ridge and its representatives have the right to exclude an applicant with a less than exemplary police record whose participation is deemed not to be in the best interest of the Village of Burr Ridge and/or the applicant."

According to the village, the academy is welcome to anyone 18 or older.

The academy plans to cover criminal investigations, infrastructure, utilities, police use of force, community development, crime prevention and the village's finances, among other topics.