Lawyer seeking files on ex-cop

Attorneys for former Kane County Jail chief Todd Exline have asked a judge to allow them to see the disciplinary records for the rookie Geneva officer who arrested the embattled sheriff's lieutenant on drunken-driving charges.

The Geneva patrolwoman has been fired from the force, and Exline's lawyers want to determine if her termination is linked to his controversial June 29 arrest.

"They don't say it had anything to do with it, but a reasonable person might see otherwise," Aurora attorney David Camic said at a hearing Wednesday.

Exline, 47, of Aurora, has been suspended without pay, and a sheriff's disciplinary panel is considering whether to fire the 26-year veteran of the department.

Charles Radovich, an attorney for Geneva, said "considerable portions" of the officer's files contain personal information -- such as medical records -- that are private.

Judge Allen Anderson said he will review the records of the former officer who arrested Exline and files from two others who took part in Exline's traffic stop near the Geneva-Batavia border.

Camic and a special prosecutor assigned to the criminal case likely will only have access to the officers' disciplinary and training documents, Anderson said.

"The medical, I just don't think it's on the table," Anderson said. "It would not seem relevant."

Anderson could announce his decision Feb. 28.

Sheriff Pat Perez has recommended Exline be fired for his actions during the traffic stop and other internal violations Perez says portrayed the department in a bad light.

Prosecutor Kelly Orland, a passenger in Exline's vehicle that night, was suspended one week for using poor judgment, the state's attorney's office has said.