Criminal Justice (Policing)

This Senate resolution honors the life and legacy of Standish E. "Kwame" Willis, a prominent Chicago civil rights attorney and activist who passed away in Ghana. The bill formally memorializes his extensive contributions to social justice, including his work as a CTA bus driver during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, his career as a lawyer specializing in police brutality cases, and his role in founding organizations like Black People Against Police Torture. It highlights his specific achievements, such as helping to establish the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission and his advocacy for victims of racial oppression both locally and internationally. The resolution serves as an official record of his impact on civil rights and community organizing rather than enacting new laws or policies.

Urges the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Office of the Secretary of State, the Illinois State Police, local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, traffic safety organizations, and other relevant public safety stakeholders to review and strengthen policies, enforcement strategies, public awareness efforts, and sentencing guidelines related to impaired driving, extreme reckless driving, social media-driven dangerous driving, and "ghosting". Encourages continued consideration of legislative and policy reforms intended to ensure Illinois law appropriately addresses severe reckless driving conduct.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall enter into an agreement for a grant program for ballistics detection and imaging through a partnership with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. Provides that the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police shall, subject to appropriation, make grants available for State and local police agencies for the purchase, expansion, and maintenance of equipment services that support the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) and other ballistic technology equipment for ballistic imaging. Provides that grantees may receive payment by advance payment, reimbursement, or working capital advance, subject to the approval of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and using Grant Accountability and Transparency Act standards. Provides that the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police's allowable costs include managing, tracking, documenting, reporting, and processing grant funds.

Appropriates $4,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois State Police for the partnership with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police for grants for State and local police agencies for the purchase, expansion, and maintenance of equipment services that support the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) and other ballistic technology equipment for ballistic imaging. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that records containing law enforcement in-car camera and officer-worn body camera video and audio recordings that a public body received from another public body are exempt from inspection or copying under the Act. Provides that records concerning the work of the threat assessment team of a law enforcement agency are exempt from inspection or copying under the Act. Provides that criminal history records are exempt from inspection or copying under the Act. Provides that personal and private information submitted to and maintained by the Illinois State Police under the Criminal Identification Act is exempt from inspection or copying under the Act. Provides that, if a public body received more than 1,000 requests under the Act in the preceding year, then (i) the public body shall either comply with or deny a request for a record that includes video records within 30 business days (rather than 5 business days) after its receipt of the request and (ii) the time for response to any request the public body receives may be extended by not more than 10 business days (rather than 5 business days) from the original due date for specified reasons. Provides that, if a request is made for an audio or video file that is maintained in an electronic format, then the public body may not charge for the first 60 minutes of staff time to prepare the response, including conducting necessary research regarding the request, as well as locating, collecting, reviewing, and redacting any responsive audio or video files. Provides that, after the first 60 minutes of staff time, the public body may charge the preparation costs of the public body's lowest paid staff member employed in a position that performs the work to prepare the response (rather than charging specified dollar amounts for specified megabytes of data). Makes technical and other changes. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Community Emergency Services and Support Act. Replaces all references to the Division of Mental Health of the Department of Human Services with the Department of Human Services throughout the Act. Provides that 9-1-1 public safety answering points shall screen specific types of law enforcement calls and follow approved protocols and processes under the Act to identify callers experiencing behavioral health crises and to refer them for a behavioral health response. Provides that 9-1-1 public safety answering points shall open and follow the emergency medical dispatch protocols established under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act at the start of all emergency calls to ensure the protocols are used and applied consistently and uniformly to ensure that information related to behavioral health emergency calls is available for data collection and can be used to determine which calls should be referred for a behavioral health response. Provides that, among other things, each Regional Advisory Committee or subregional committee must (1) review regional and subregional crisis response system capacities and resources to inform planning and implementation and to foster collaboration across all sectors of the system and (2) determine the need for and make a plan to support local communities to develop and use other resources to create additional mobile mental health relief provider services to expand the capacity to provide more immediate service coverage. Amends the Emergency Telephone System Act. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2027, all public safety answering points shall use the protocols established under the Community Emergency Services and Support Act to identify behavioral and mental health-related emergencies that do not require a law enforcement response. Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training programs shall include, among other things, community response options including, the community response options under the Community Emergency Services and Support Act. Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Removes provisions allowing a municipality to evaluate a police officer based on the police officer's points of contact.

Creates the Statewide Hate Crime Information Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall compile and maintain information about hate crime and shall adopt a uniform reporting format for the entry of pertinent intelligence information regarding the report of a hate crime to the Illinois State Police Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center. Provides that each law enforcement agency shall: (1) submit a report to the Illinois State Police through the Central Repository after any arrest with probable cause demonstrating the commission of a hate crime; (2) submit reports of persons arrested for hate crimes as soon as the minimum level of data or information specified by the Illinois State Police is available; and (3) notify the applicable prosecutor of any other information in the accused person's history of perpetrating hate crimes. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that in a criminal prosecution in which the defendant is charged with a hate crime, evidence of the defendant's commission of another hate crime is admissible and may be considered for its bearing on any matter to which it is relevant.

Amends the Community Emergency Services and Support Act. Replaces all references to the Division of Mental Health of the Department of Human Services with the Department of Human Services throughout the Act. Provides that 9-1-1 public safety answering points shall screen specific types of law enforcement calls and follow approved protocols and processes under the Act to identify callers experiencing behavioral health crises and to refer them for a behavioral health response. Provides that 9-1-1 public safety answering points shall open and follow the emergency medical dispatch protocols established under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act at the start of all emergency calls to ensure the protocols are used and applied consistently and uniformly to ensure that information related to behavioral health emergency calls is available for data collection and can be used to determine which calls should be referred for a behavioral health response. Provides that, among other things, each Regional Advisory Committee or subregional committee must (1) review regional and subregional crisis response system capacities and resources to inform planning and implementation and to foster collaboration across all sectors of the system and (2) determine the need for and make a plan to support local communities to develop and use other resources to create additional mobile mental health relief provider services to expand the capacity to provide more immediate service coverage. Amends the Emergency Telephone System Act. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2027, all public safety answering points shall use the protocols established under the Community Emergency Services and Support Act to identify behavioral and mental health-related emergencies that do not require a law enforcement response. Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training programs shall include, among other things, community response options including, the community response options under the Community Emergency Services and Support Act. Makes other changes.

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of the Act to the contrary, on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Illinois State Police may not revoke a Firearm Owner's Identification Card. Provides that on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, a Firearm Owner's Identification Card may only be revoked after a Firearm Owner's Identification Card hearing has been held in the circuit court of the county of residence of the person whose Firearm Owner's Identification Card is sought to be revoked. Provides that, if the State's Attorney of the county of residence of the person whose Firearm Owner's Identification Card is sought to be revoked has probable cause to believe that the person who has been issued a Firearm Owner's Identification Card is no longer eligible for the Card under the Act, the State's Attorney shall file a petition in the circuit court of the county of residence of the person whose Card is sought to be revoked. Provides that at the hearing, the person may present evidence in his or her favor seeking retention of his or her Firearm Owner's Identification Card and the Illinois State Police and State's Attorney may present evidence for revocation. Provides that the hearing shall be a civil proceeding and subject to due process, the Code of Civil Procedure, and the Illinois Rules of Evidence as adopted by the Supreme Court. Provides that the hearing shall be held within 45 days after the filing of the petition. Provides that if the circuit court determines, by clear and convincing evidence, that the person is ineligible for retention of his or her Firearm Owner's Identification Card under the Act, the court shall order the Illinois State Police to immediately revoke the Card and the circuit clerk shall seize the Card and transmit the Card to the Illinois State Police. Establishes procedures for the Illinois State Police to suspend a Firearm Owner's Identification Card.