Senate rejects giving local prosecutors new wire tap powers

SPRINGFIELD - A state Senate panel on Friday balked at approving criminal law reforms proposed by the Illinois Reform Commission saying the proposals were too broad, not focused on corrupt officials and duplicate existing Illinois law.

Lawmakers spoke strongly against a proposal allowing state's attorneys to wiretap suspects in official corruption cases, but also for crimes as minor as music piracy. State Sen. Bill Haine, a former state's attorney, said he was worried elected prosecutors would use these powers against political opponents.

"The state's attorney comes out of the same political environment that created George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, the same money-oriented political campaigning that created the culture of corruption that we have," said Haine, a Democrat from Alton.

There isn't anything in any of these bills which assures me that this culture of corruption will not produce a state's attorney whose powers that have been enhanced tremendously by these bills, with no check," said Haine, a Democrat from Alton.

But reform commission head Patrick Collins said he used wiretapping extensively as a federal prosecutor and state's attorneys need the same powers.

"In the right case, having the ability to do a wiretap will be the difference between ensnaring a corrupt official versus not charging that official," Collins said.

But lawmakers were not convinced and rejected the wiretapping provisions. They also refused to approve a rewrite of the state fraud law and blocked increases in the penalties for extortion, theft and lying to a police officer.

Instead, the panel approved legislation that would let the state go after corrupt officials's assets and property. The full Senate also approved that provision 59-0.