Bill Text: IL HB4693 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that it is not a violation of the Eavesdropping Article for a person to use an eavesdropping device to record a government official engaged in his or her official duties in a public place, including a police officer, unless the recording significantly impacts the government official's ability to perform these duties or creates a danger to the government official or others.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2013-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB4693 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-HB4693-Introduced.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning criminal law.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by changing | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Section 14-2 as follows:
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| 6 | (720 ILCS 5/14-2) (from Ch. 38, par. 14-2)
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| 7 | Sec. 14-2. Elements of the offense; affirmative defense.
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| 8 | (a) A person commits eavesdropping when he:
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| 9 | (1) Knowingly and intentionally uses an
eavesdropping | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | device for the purpose of hearing or recording all or any | |||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | part of
any conversation or intercepts, retains, or | |||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | transcribes electronic
communication unless he does so (A) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | with the consent of all of
the parties to
such conversation | |||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | or electronic communication or (B) in
accordance with
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| 15 | Article
108A or Article 108B of the "Code of Criminal | |||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Procedure of 1963",
approved August 14, 1963, as amended; | |||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | or
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| 18 | (2) Manufactures, assembles, distributes, or possesses | |||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | any electronic,
mechanical, eavesdropping, or other device | |||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | knowing that or having reason to
know
that the design of | |||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | the device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of
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| 22 | the surreptitious hearing or recording of oral | |||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | conversations or the
interception, retention, or | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | transcription of electronic communications and the
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| 2 | intended or actual use of the device is contrary to the | ||||||
| 3 | provisions of this
Article; or
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| 4 | (3) Uses or divulges, except as authorized
by this | ||||||
| 5 | Article or by Article 108A or 108B of the "Code of Criminal | ||||||
| 6 | Procedure
of 1963", approved August 14, 1963, as amended, | ||||||
| 7 | any information
which he knows or reasonably should know | ||||||
| 8 | was obtained through the use of an
eavesdropping device.
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| 9 | (b) It is an affirmative defense to a charge brought under | ||||||
| 10 | this
Article relating to the interception of a privileged | ||||||
| 11 | communication that the
person charged:
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| 12 | 1. was a law enforcement officer acting pursuant to an | ||||||
| 13 | order of
interception, entered pursuant to Section 108A-1 | ||||||
| 14 | or 108B-5 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure of 1963; and
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| 15 | 2. at the time the communication was intercepted, the | ||||||
| 16 | officer was
unaware that the communication was privileged; | ||||||
| 17 | and
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| 18 | 3. stopped the interception within a reasonable time | ||||||
| 19 | after discovering
that the communication was privileged; | ||||||
| 20 | and
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| 21 | 4. did not disclose the contents of the communication.
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| 22 | (c) It is not unlawful for a manufacturer or a supplier of
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| 23 | eavesdropping devices, or a provider of wire or electronic | ||||||
| 24 | communication
services, their agents, employees, contractors, | ||||||
| 25 | or venders to manufacture,
assemble, sell, or possess an | ||||||
| 26 | eavesdropping device within the normal course of
their business | ||||||
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| 1 | for purposes not contrary to this Article or for law | ||||||
| 2 | enforcement
officers and employees of the Illinois Department | ||||||
| 3 | of Corrections to
manufacture, assemble, purchase, or possess | ||||||
| 4 | an eavesdropping device
in preparation for or within the course | ||||||
| 5 | of their official duties.
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| 6 | (d) The interception, recording, or transcription of an | ||||||
| 7 | electronic
communication by an employee of a penal institution | ||||||
| 8 | is not
prohibited under this Act, provided that the | ||||||
| 9 | interception, recording, or
transcription is:
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| 10 | (1) otherwise legally permissible under Illinois law;
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| 11 | (2) conducted with the approval of the penal | ||||||
| 12 | institution
for the purpose of investigating or enforcing a | ||||||
| 13 | State criminal law or a
penal institution rule or | ||||||
| 14 | regulation with respect to inmates in the institution; and
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| 15 | (3) within the scope of the employee's official duties. | ||||||
| 16 | For the purposes of this subsection (d), "penal | ||||||
| 17 | institution" has the meaning ascribed to it in clause (c)(1) of | ||||||
| 18 | Section 31A-1.1.
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| 19 | (e) It is not a violation of this Article for a person to | ||||||
| 20 | use an eavesdropping device to record a government official | ||||||
| 21 | engaged in his or her official duties in a public place, | ||||||
| 22 | including a police officer, unless the recording significantly | ||||||
| 23 | impacts the government official's ability to perform these | ||||||
| 24 | duties or creates a danger to the government official or | ||||||
| 25 | others. | ||||||
| 26 | (Source: P.A. 94-183, eff. 1-1-06.)
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