A measure that passed the General Assembly earlier this year will prohibit law enforcement agencies from imposing waiting periods on missing persons reports.
Senate Bill 0024 passed the legislature earlier this year and was signed into law by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August. The measure will take effect on Jan. 1, according to the text of the bill.
Under provisions of the legislation, no law enforcement agency in the state will be permitted to maintain or enact a policy requiring the observance of a waiting period before accepting a missing persons report.
“When you believe a loved one has gone missing, you need action taken without hesitation,” State Sen. Michael Hastings, a co-sponsor of the measure, said in a statement. “Eliminating the waiting period and utilizing national databases will give families peace of mind and give law enforcement more tools in the search.”
Other portions of the bill require police to file a report of the missing person in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) after they’ve been missing for 60 days.
That report will also require the person’s photograph, fingerprints, dental records, and other identifying information, according to the new law.
The bill also requires law enforcement to collect and submit DNA samples voluntarily obtained from family members to a laboratory for DNA analysis within 90 days of the police report.
The measure was praised by several high-profile law enforcement officials, including Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart. The Cook County Sheriff’s office, which runs the Missing Women’s Project, worked alongside Hastings to create the new policy.
“The passage of SB 24 through the Senate is a critical step forward in strengthening how law enforcement collectively will respond to missing persons cases. The bill represents hope for those who are living the nightmare of wondering where their loved ones may be or what may have happened to them,” he said in a statement. “I thank Senator Hastings and lawmakers who championed this bill and urge the House to act swiftly. Lives depend on it – and so does the trust of every family who counts on us to act when every second matters.”
More information on new laws in the state can be found on the NBC Chicago app.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
