Progress Illinois posted an article about the ACLU of Illinois' recommended guidelines on the use of body cameras by law enforcement in Illinois. In the wake of the events in Ferguson, Missouri and the police shooting death of an unarmed teenager, law enforcement agencies across the country have expressed interest in the use of body cameras to encourage transparency and accountability in the oversight of police forces. The guidelines, released last week, outline numerous privacy concerns that need to be weighed before any implementation can begin. Yohnka stated:

"It can be a situation where we're getting the kind of oversight that people want, and at the same time we're probably going to be reducing frivolous claims against police," says Yohnka. "But we need to do this right in the first instance in order to achieve that goal."

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The Chicago Tribune has published an article today exploring the Right to Die movement, which is gaining momentum throughout the country. On Wednesday, Chicago will play host to a sold-out convention that will discuss the topic of assisted dying. Oregon, Montana, Vermont and Washington are the only states that have laws allowing people access to life-ending medications. Oregon's Death with Dignity Act requires citizens to meet certain specific criteria in order to be given access to medications that induce sleep, and then within hours, death. The Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois' Khadine Bennett:

Khadine Bennett, legislative counsel and staff attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, has helped draft legislation that she hopes will eventually be introduced in Springfield.

"We are in the process of educating legislators ... (and) want to make sure we are laying the groundwork and have a good foundation in the place first," she said.
Such measures would be "on the same spectrum" as other end-of-life decisions that are permissible in Illinois, such as refusing medical care or food and water, Bennett said.

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The Chicago Tribune published an article about the possibility of Chicago Police wearing body cameras as a way to decrease police misconduct in the wake of the events in Ferguson, Missouri. As a result of the growing concern of police brutality throughout the country, body cameras have been considered as a potential solution by creating more oversight and transparency of law enforcement at large. However, the ACLU has suggested some basic privacy guidelines for their use that would address: notice to civilians; when to record; retention of images; and, disclosure of images. The Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka:

An even trickier issue could be when the camera gets turned on or off. While the ACLU believes police officers don't need to keep the cameras rolling during their entire shifts, they should record every interaction they have with citizens — whether it's making an arrest or just giving out directions — to prevent racial profiling and other discrimination, said spokesman Edwin Yohnka.

If police control who they record, Yohnka said, that "leaves too much discretion with the officers to decide what's an informal conversation and what's a formal conversation."

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