Illinois just quietly passed a law that makes it a felony to record the police without consent
In most states it is completely legal to record police when they are on duty. It's a basic right that keeps the government accountable. But Illinois just passed a vague law that discourages people from recording interactions with police by making it a felony in certain situatons, adding jail time if a person "eavesdrops" on a police officer. This could be a dangerous trend unless we stop it now.
Sign the petition to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn:
"We have a First Amendment right to record
interactions with law
enforcement and government officials. Don't make Illinois a
Constitution-free zone. Veto the Amendment to SB 1342. There should be
no increased penalty when people record police and government officials,
and no expanded powers for law enforcement to eavesdrop without a
warrant."
At a time when people nationwide are calling for more transparency from police, politicians in Illinois want to make it more illegal to record them.
People from across the political spectrum agree that the government needs to be accountable and transparent. The right to film and record law enforcement and government officials is a basic freedom that protects us from abuse.The U.S. is having an important conversation about police violence right now, in large part because people are able to record acts of abuse and share them freely on the Internet and with the media.
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But the legislature of Illinois just hastily passed
an amendment to a completely unrelated bill that would make it
increased felony to record police, prosecutors, or other officials when
they have a "reasonable expectation of privacy." i would change But the
bill doesn't define what
that means, which creates a chilling effect and means the law can be
used selectively. This leaves Illinois residents in doubt about whether
or not they have the right to record their interactions with law
enforcement. In March, the Illinois Supreme Court declared
the state's eavesdropping law unconstitutional, specifically because it
interfered with the public's right to record police. The new law is just as bad:
by imposing stricter rules on recording police interactions than other
interactions, the law discourages the public from exercising their
rights.
Similarly vague laws have caused problems in other states. In May, a Massachusetts woman was charged with "wiretapping" for recording a police officer who was arresting her.
The ACLU of Illinois is less concerned than us about the felony enhancement, but they point out another extremely troubling aspect of this Amendment: it greatly expands the circumstances in which a law enforcement officer or informant can secretly record conversations without a warrant.
Read the full text of the Amendment here.
Similarly vague laws have caused problems in other states. In May, a Massachusetts woman was charged with "wiretapping" for recording a police officer who was arresting her.
The ACLU of Illinois is less concerned than us about the felony enhancement, but they point out another extremely troubling aspect of this Amendment: it greatly expands the circumstances in which a law enforcement officer or informant can secretly record conversations without a warrant.
Read the full text of the Amendment here.
