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| Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) |
Legislation authored by State Representative Joe Sosnowski aimed to prevent stalking with an electronic device was signed into law on Friday, August 16. The new law addresses a major gap in current state law by outlawing the use of electronic tracking devices to record the location of a person without their consent.
The idea was brought forward by Belvidere Police Chief Jan Noble when a local woman came forward after she found an unwanted GPS tracking device hidden beneath her car. Because current Illinois law only allows law enforcement to take action in the case of immediate danger, there was nothing the police department could do. Upset with the situation, Chief Noble came to State Rep. Joe Sosnowski looking to make a change.
Rep. Sosnowski says the situation in Belvidere clearly highlighted the need for the State to place more tools in the hands of law enforcement to protect residents.
“Illinois residents have the right to live without the fear of having their every movement watched,” said Sosnowski. “These tracking devices can be secretly attached to a car without the driver ever knowing making the car vulnerable to being tracked from a remote location.”
“In order to combat stalking, we must have laws on the books that keep pace with the times and allow police to effectively protect the safety of all citizens,” said Chief Noble. “The Illinois Chiefs of Police unanimously support this bill and applaud Representative Sosnowski’s efforts to make our communities safer.”
House Bill 1199 does make exceptions for certain law enforcement agencies, governmental investigations and specific private sector automotive fleet operations. The new law will take effect in January.
For more information on the legislation please visit www.joesosnowski.org, or contact State Rep. Joe Sosnowski at (815) 547-3436 or by email at repsosnowski@gmail.com.