The City of Chicago has announced that the it will not enforce the Illinois Eavesdropping Act against citizens who audio record police officers during the NATO summit protests taking place this month, the Chicago Tribune reports. The ACLU of Illinois is currently challenging the eavesdropping law in court in the case of ACLU v. Alvarez, which is currently before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and also has supported legislative efforts to change the law.
Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois had asked city officials recently not to enforce the law during the summit, but the city denied the ACLU's request, said Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesman. Yohnka said the city's change of course makes sense.
"We're pleased that the people who come here from around the country, and even people from Illinois who aren't aware of the law, will not be subjected to prosecution simply for monitoring the activities of police," he said.
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