Illinois Senate Fails To Pass Recording Police Bill
By: Patrick Fazio
Updated: June 1, 2012
The deadline has passed to permanently protect a First Amendment right for citizens in Illinois. The legislative session ended after midnight Friday morning.
The Illinois Senate never voted on a bill to clearly legalize audio recordings of police in public, even though the Illinois House previously approved a similar bill.
The Illinois Eavesdropping Law makes it a felony to record audio of anyone without their permission, even in public.
As we've investigated on a local case, publicly recording audio of law enforcement officers in Illinois is punishable by up to 15 years in prison for each offense.
The Federal Appeals Court in Chicago issued a temporary order earlier in May for police to stop arresting citizens who record them in public.
The Illinois Senate never voted on a bill to clearly legalize audio recordings of police in public, even though the Illinois House previously approved a similar bill.
The Illinois Eavesdropping Law makes it a felony to record audio of anyone without their permission, even in public.
As we've investigated on a local case, publicly recording audio of law enforcement officers in Illinois is punishable by up to 15 years in prison for each offense.
The Federal Appeals Court in Chicago issued a temporary order earlier in May for police to stop arresting citizens who record them in public.
