SB2239 Summary

• Extends the sunset date of an eavesdropping exemption from January 1, 2018 to January 1, 2023, allowing law enforcement to record conversations with prior State's Attorney approval without a warrant.

• Permits recording of conversations where a law enforcement officer or their agent is a party and has consented, when investigating qualified offenses including drug crimes, murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and trafficking.

• Requires State's Attorney approval (written or verbal with written memorialization) based on reasonable cause that inculpatory conversations will occur with specified individuals within a 24-hour period.

• Restricts admissibility of recordings to prosecutions of the qualified offense, related forcible felonies, or when the officer suffers great bodily injury or death during the recorded conversation.

• Requires State's Attorneys to submit annual reports to the General Assembly disclosing the number of requests and approvals granted for each qualified offense.