One of the news criminal laws for Illinois

 Posted on January 18, 2013 in Criminal Defense

With a new year comes new laws, and this year there are a number of laws working in different parts of the legal field. Since this is a criminal defense blog, we will introduce a new criminal law, which, in this case, is an amendment to an older statute. The law in question sets new rules on eavesdropping when investigating a felony drug violation case.

For those who want to read through a bureaucratic summary of the bill, here is a link to Illinois General Assembly’s information about the new law.

The core idea in the bill is that law enforcement officers can eavesdrop with an eavesdropping device when they are investigating a felony drug violation case if they get permission from the state’s attorney. However, one of the participants in the recorded conversation has to be an officer or acting under instructions from a law enforcement officer. The officer or instructed person also has to have consented to the recording taking place.

More specifically, the bill allows eavesdropping in felony violations of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, the Cannabis Control Act or the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. If these eavesdropping recordings have evidence that has to do with something other than these violations, it is not usable evidence in court.

Very short summaries of new laws can be found, for example in this examiner.com story.

If you are facing criminal charges of any kind, it is important to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney in your area. Our Rolling Meadows offices can help you with your Cook County, Illinois criminal defense needs.