Wiretapping law change could help NWH video

It's exciting news that the Illinois Legislature finally is reworking the state's terrible wiretapping law, a law which has impacted the Northwest Herald several times.

Today's headline is that the new bill passed a House committee 9-2 and will now go up for a vote on the House floor. I have to tip my hat to Rep. Elaine Nekritz, Northbrook, for having the foresight to realize this law was flawed.

(For a full profile of the law and the many situations in which it was unjustly applied, read the article we ran on Tuesday from The Associated Press.)

As basic as it gets, the law prohibits anyone from recording the voice of someone who does not consent. Apparently, this also applies to public places. With the rise of smartphones and digital camcorders, it is violated more frequently.

It was three years ago when I first read the headline of a passenger being arrested in a traffic stop for recording a police officer with a cell phone. The passenger felt that the officer was being rude, and wanted evidence of the moment.

At the Northwest Herald, we get video of police situations when possible. This video of a standoff in Cary, for example. Yet because of this law, we have been wary. Even on this assignment, we were told there were certain people we could not shoot.

My main hope is that, with this law change, we may have better relations with local departments, in terms of video access.

One missed opportunity was in October. Videographer Jenny Kane was working on "The Bubble," our video series that accompanied our Housing survival guide. We had a goal of finding a person who was moving out due to foreclosure. We had the sheriff's office cooperation; a ride-along when they served forclosure papers. But we were told that we could not take any video of the officer as he was driving or actually serving the papers. We could only have an interview at the office.

What a letdown. That could have been a very powerful video.

Again we were confronted with this when profiling an "Everyday Hero." A local police officer was nominated for saving a child's life. In order to talk to him, we had to sign a release that we would not record any other officers; and that our access to him would be limited to controlled situations.