State Senator John J. Millner District 28 - Republican
	local		Springfield
	2580 Foxfield Rd. St. Charles, IL  60174		105 State Capitol Springfield, IL 62706
	630/524-9250	phone	217/782-8192
	Fax: 630/524-9251	fax	217/782-4079
	Date:  February 16, 2006/pk
	For Immediate Release

SENATE APPROVES MILLNER’S POLICE CAMERA BILL

SPRINGFIELD— A bill approved by the Senate Feb. 22 will create common sense exceptions to police video usage rules according to its sponsor, State Senator John J. Millner (R- Carol Stream).

The bill, Senate Bill 2427, enacts exemptions to the criminal eavesdropping code which will protect police officers and introduce additional evidence into court proceedings that otherwise would be inadmissible.

“Right now if an officer pulls up to a gang fight or a domestic situation they have to turn their in-car cameras off or the officer will be in violation of the eavesdropping law and susceptible to criminal sanctions,” Millner said. “This bill will allow police to keep those tapes rolling and help catch criminals in the act of their crimes.”

Currently police officers are only allowed to have their in-car video and audio cameras on and recording during stops for traffic violations. Any video or audio they capture while in the act of investigating or responding to any other crime is inadmissible.

Senator Millner’s bill reflects a real life situation in DuPage County where a hostage situation and subsequent shooting was caught on tape right in front of an officer’s camera. The police and courts were not able to use the footage at trial because of the current law.

“Police should have every tool they can at their disposal,” Millner said. “This bill will give police another way to fight crime and an added level of security.”

The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate and will now go before the House of Representatives for consideration.

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