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ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSIT Y’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1888 MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016
Vol. 128 / No. 36
Local police react to Chicago politics
A proposed bill could force Illinois police departments to release deadly camera footage NATHAN PENN Political Reporter
Illinois police departments may soon force the release of any footage showing an officer discharging a firearm or an officer-involved death. A proposed bill in the Illinois legislature would amend the Freedom of Information Act to require Illinois police to release dashboard or body camera footage depicting a deadly incident. The law comes in the wake of the high profile Laquan McDonald case and the Chicago Police Department’s resistance to release footage of his death. Town of Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner said that the NPD is used to reacting to “Chicago politics.” “It’s unfortunate, but we’ve dealt with things downstate that have happened in Chicago,” Bleichner said. “We’ve been doing it for years and we’ll continue to do it.” Normal is anticipated to spend $137,000 on body cameras within the next fiscal year. “I would envision doing research on what body cameras are out there, which ones fit our needs, then pilot a program,” Bleichner said. Bleichner hopes the NPD will have a fully implemented body camera system by the end of March 2017. Illinois State University Chief of Police Aaron Woodruff said ISU police will eventually get body cameras as well, but he is unsure of the impact they will have. “I think there is too much reliance on the belief police body cameras will solve significant societal issues,” Woodruff said. “Video
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A proposed bill in the Illinois legislature would require police departments to release video footage. footage can help explain part of a story, but it often fails to catch the entirety of the event or the full context of a confrontation.” Woodruff stresses the importance of carefully considering legislation that offers quick solutions to significant and complicated problems. Bleichner believes that the proposed legislation would have significant impacts on policing in Illinois. “There’s less focus on police officers’ rights and more focus on individuals’ rights,” Bleichner said. “If anybody is allowed to video
the police wherever they are, we ought to be able to video them regardless of whether we’re standing in somebody’s home, or standing on a street corner.” Under the current system, a civilian has to file a Freedom of Information Request to gain access to any type of police video. The request is then reviewed to determine if the video should be released. Woodruff said that the proposed bill underestimates how difficult it would be for most police departments to retrieve and edit footage of incidents.
“Most police departments just do not have a staff of people available to sort through hours of videos, nor the skills or software, to remove segments of protected information such as faces and names,” Woodruff said. The bill, which is still in the Rules Committee, would go into effect immediately if passed. Nathan Penn is a junior political science major and a reporter and columnist for The Vidette. He can be reached at vidette_ njpenn@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @ NateJPenn.
Bloomington and Normal rank among ‘happiest’ Illinois cities TAYLOR LEDDIN News Reporter
Bloomington and Normal are home to permanent residents and are a home-away-from-home to the many students who walk through the doors of Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University each year. With differing demographics to appeal to, Bloomington and Normal work to provide amenities that cater to every resident. OnlyInYourState.com recently compiled a list of the 10 happiest cities in Illinois, with Normal and Bloomington taking spots seven and nine, respectively. “We try to bring amenities and entertainment that all ages
Brett Farrell | Photographer
Bloomington and Normal have been recognized as some of the happiest cities in Illinois. can enjoy. Normal hosts diverse groups of people, from students, to
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and arts that offer something for everyone,” Heather Wagner, communications manager for the Town of Normal, said. The list attributed low divorce rates and one of the quickest commute times in Illinois, 16.2 minutes on average, as a couple of reasons for Normal making the list. “We hear from residents a lot that they enjoy living here. There is a good work-life balance,” Wagner said. “Normal offers great amenities for a smaller community, and we are close to larger cities. It is exciting [to be ranked in the top 10] because you want residents to be happy, and it gives validation.” Bloomington is listed not long
after its twin city, coming in at ninth place. “I think a lot of us being ranked comes from short commute times,” Nora Dukowitz, communication manager for the City of Bloomington, said. The average commute time is 16 minutes, and only 2 percent of residents need to leave home before 5 a.m. to make it to work, according to the list. “Being included on this list reflects many great things about Bloomington,” Dukowitz said. Popular areas such as downtown Bloomington and Uptown Normal are key
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