NPR: Often, You Can Film Cops; Just Don't Record Them
by Cheryl Corley
September 1, 2010
If the government can record citizens, why can't citizens record the government? That's the question posed by a Chicago artist who faces prison for recording the sound of his own arrest.
Drew is a free-speech advocate; his State Street appearance was part of an ongoing protest against a Chicago law restricting where artists can sell their wares. A Chicago police officer noticed Drew in the off-limits area, and told him to move along.
Drew was hoping to get arrested to test the city's law; he got his wish. Prosecutors charged him with two misdemeanors. He was not expecting what came next. After police found a small recording device in his belongings, Drew was charged with a felony for violating the Illinois eavesdropping law, which requires all involved to consent to any audio recording.