By Frank Main
The Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — A lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Chicago seeks to stop Cook County prosecutors from charging citizens for making recordings of on-duty police officers without their permission.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois sued Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent prosecutors from charging ACLU officials and volunteers with violating a law that makes recording cops a felony under the state’s eavesdropping statute.
The 20,000-member ACLU of Illinois intends to launch a program of monitoring police activity in public places using audio and video recording devices, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit notes that Christopher Drew, 59, of the 1500 block of West Jonquil Terrace in Rogers Park, is already facing felony eavesdropping charges.
On Dec. 2, Drew was arrested at 103 N. State for allegedly peddling goods illegally. When he was processed in the police station, officers found a digital recorder and discovered he recorded his conversation with the officers, police said. The charges against Drew are pending.
Similar charges have been brought against civilians in Champaign, Crawford and DeKalb counties, according to the ACLU.
A spokesman for Alvarez declined comment on the lawsuit.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.