Illinois bill would allow traffic cameras to investigate human trafficking
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- Traffic cameras could be used to investigate human trafficking in Illinois, according to a bill passed this year.
House Bill 3339 would allow state police to use 'automatic license plate readers' in cases involving human trafficking. State Police can run license plate numbers through several law enforcement databases and alert officers if there is a match. The bill expands a law that allows police to use cameras to investigate other crimes across the state.
Over $85,000 in unpaid construction wages recovered in Saline County
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said in a committee hearing on the bill, 'It's very focused on specific types of crime. It's not for speeding, it's not for traffic enforcement, this is for serious offenses, and we use it in a limited and focused way and in a highly effective way.'
The bill would also require ISP to delete images obtained from the cameras from the ISP databases within 120 days, with exceptions to images used for ongoing investigations or criminal trials. It also bars images obtained through automatic license plate readers from being accessible through the Freedom of Information Act.
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