In these times of quick fixes to all problems no matter how large, there are few organizations that have the staying power of the ACLU to defend the civil rights of the most vulnerable.ACLU v Alvarez, our suit challenging the application of Illinois’ Eavesdropping Act to the recording of police officers engaged in their public duty in a public space, got a hearing before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday. NBC Chicago covered the hearing:
“The law in Illinois is an aberration. It is unique. It is virtually unheard of for law enforcement officers in other states in our country to be protected or to be able to use eavesdropping laws as a weapon against citizens who seek to do nothing more than record their activities and their oral expression,” said Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois.
Grossman explained that it’s currently legal to take photos of police officers, to record silent video, to talk to them and write down what they say, but recording audio of them in punishable by years in prison.
“There simply is an anachronism about the law that no longer makes any sense whatsoever,” he said.
Playing this video will place long-term cookies on your computer. Please see NBCChicago.com’s privacy statement on their website to learn more. To view the ACLU’s privacy statement, click here.
